Panchkula Civil Hospital Services Disrupted by Server Outage Following Cable Theft
Patients seeking medical attention at the Civil Hospital in Sector-6, Panchkula, encountered significant disruption and inconvenience on Thursday as the facility's central server experienced yet another failure. This technical breakdown severely hampered hospital operations, particularly affecting outpatient department services across multiple blocks.
OPD Services Grind to a Halt, Patients Forced to Return
The server failure created immediate operational challenges, with the most visible impact being the complete halt in generating OPD registration cards in Blocks A, B, and C. This administrative bottleneck resulted in extended waiting periods for patients, many of whom had traveled considerable distances seeking medical care. Frustrated by the indefinite delays and unable to complete the registration process, several patients ultimately had to return home without receiving the treatment they required.
Cable Theft Identified as Root Cause of Server Failure
Investigations into the recurring server issues revealed a startling criminal act as the underlying cause. According to hospital sources, the outage was directly triggered by a theft incident within the secure server room. The perpetrator, who remains unidentified, targeted the critical infrastructure supporting the hospital's IT systems.
CCTV footage from Wednesday evening, around 8 PM, captured an individual entering the server room and systematically removing converter wires connected to approximately 35-40 UPS batteries. These batteries form an essential component of the hospital's uninterrupted power supply system, which safeguards the server against electrical fluctuations and outages. The theft of these crucial cables directly compromised the power backup, leading to the subsequent server failure.
Hospital Administration Responds with Police Complaint and Restoration Efforts
In response to this serious incident, the hospital administration has taken formal legal action. Dr. RS Chauhan, the Principal Medical Officer of the Civil Hospital, confirmed that a detailed complaint has been lodged with the local police authorities. The complaint seeks investigation into the theft and identification of the individual captured on surveillance footage.
Simultaneously, technical teams worked diligently to address the infrastructure damage and restore server functionality. "Our technical staff prioritized restoring the server at the earliest possible moment to minimize patient inconvenience," stated Dr. Chauhan. He further assured that, following the repair work, the hospital's digital systems are expected to be fully operational and restart services from Friday, allowing normal patient registration and treatment procedures to resume.
This incident highlights the vulnerability of critical healthcare infrastructure to such disruptions and underscores the importance of robust security measures for essential medical services.
