Public hospital beset by power quality problems
Voltage fluctuation at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is creating havoc for the primary health care institution's Ambulatory Care Unit. According to one senior official the situation has the potential to place patients' lives in jeopardy. The situation has grown to such dimensions that the fuse supply at the GPHC is running low on a continuous basis. Added to that the efficiency rate of key equipment has been reduced by 20%. The old Public Hospital Georgetown (PHG) had bought a 60-cycle transformer to use on 60-cycle equipment. However, the official said, that the current was problematic because the electricity being supplied to the building was on a 50-cycle cable. Stabroek News managed to see several key non-functional equipment put away in the Bio-Med Department such as cardiac monitors, blood-pressure monitors and incubators, some of them donations, damaged as a result of irregular power supply. In addition, cooling fans were not running efficiently, thereby causing an increase in heat in the system. A main compressor was down as well. However, a source disclosed that spare parts were the problem, as these were not available here and had to be procured directly from the United Kingdom, where the equipment was purchased. He explained that the problem lay in the fact that the hospital's equipment which were supposed to run on a 60-cycle cable were still being run on a 50-cycle power line. He said the old Guyana Electricity Corporation had approved a request from the PHG for a 60-cycle cable for the institution. The hospital had allocated $17 million towards the installation cost. He pointed out that the GPHC had written to Guyana Power and Light's (GPL's) Chief Executive Officer, Noel Hatch, with a reminder of its request noting that the funds for the conversion were immediately available. However, the hospital was subsequently told by the company that the request could not be facilitated. Asked whether the GPHC was in any arrears the official said no, and stressed that the institution should be treated as a priority customer by GPL as it was the main referral institution in the country for patients. Chief Executive Officer, Michael Khan, when approached for a comment on the matter, referred this newspaper to the Ministry of Health or GPL. Contacted on Thursday, GPL Public Relations Officer (PRO), Marjorie Chester, pointed out that fulfilling a request for a 60-cycle cable to the hospital would not be cost effective to GPL since it would be a special line. She noted that all of Georgetown will first have to be converted from 50 to 60 cycles. Moreover, she noted that power supply by the power company stopped at the point of entry, meaning at the installation of the 'pig-tail' of the electricity meter. She explained that prior to October last year, when GPL came on board, investigations were conducted by GEC engineers who found that the transformer at the PHG was put in without the GEC being consulted for parameters and specifications. And, while the need for a 60-cycle cable might be immaterial at this point, Chester noted that installations without the knowledge of the power company could result in several problems such as voltage fluctuations, power surges and leaks from deteriorated wires, among others, thereby posing a threat to equipment and even loss of lives. She pointed out that senior officials of the GPL during recent visits to the hospital, had found that the institution has been receiving a stable supply of electricity. Stabroek News understands that GPL officials also found that the hospital was riddled with internal electrical problems. (Bebe Buksh)
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