Kamna Kumar 
Three months after a power outage disrupted an open-body surgery at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, Health Minister Dr. Atonio Lalabalavu confirms that the hospital’s generator system still does not function reliably on its own.
In March, the blackout left the operating theatre in complete darkness, forcing the surgery to be temporarily abandoned and raising concerns about backup power systems at the country’s largest hospital.
Dr. Lalabalavu says the generator is meant to operate automatically, but sometimes fails to do so.
“The plan is to make it as automatic as possible. But look, with the current system we have, again, it’s supposed to be automatic.”
He adds that when the automatic system does not respond, hospital staff are forced to intervene.
He adds that when the generator fails to kick in, hospital staff work around the clock to ensure power is restored, either through emergency mode or manual intervention.
The Minister’s comments indicate that while improvements are planned, the issue has not been fully resolved.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
