Havana/An electrical overload this Saturday caused a blackout and an alleged fire at the Saturnino Lora Provincial Hospital, in Santiago de Cuba, which forced the emergency evacuation of 12 patients from the intensive care unit, as reported the newspaper Sierra Maestra.
According to the information that the hospital management gave to the official media, the incident occurred “due to a voltage overload in the power lines that feed the Intensive and Intermediate Care Unit,” which caused “the heating of the main line, the tripping of the switches and the temporary shutdown of the room.”
The event forced the internal transfer of the 12 patients hospitalized in that area to other rooms. Four patients were transferred out of the center, while the remaining eight were relocated to their own hospital rooms. The note does not report loss of human life.
The newspaper also collected the testimony of a companion, whose identity was not revealed, who criticized the dissemination of the fact without consent.
When trying to put out the damage, a liquid extinguisher was used instead of a foam one, which caused a short circuit and an explosion.
The versions spread on social networks that preceded the official statement offer a more serious account of the incident. Citing “testimonies from sources and relatives within the institution,” independent communicators indicated that the incident would have originated in the technical room of the air conditioning system, where a strong odor similar to ammonia was first perceived, followed by an electrical crackling.
According to these sources, when trying to put out the breakdown, a liquid extinguisher was used instead of a foam one, which caused a short circuit and an explosion that “tore off the door of the premises and damaged the glassware in the area.”
The same version indicates that the evacuated patients were transferred to the Juan Bruno Zayas Surgical Clinical Hospital, also in Santiago de Cuba, and denounced hermeticism of the official media about what happened.
“They don’t let patients or family members out of other cubicles,” said a source cited by Santiago native Yosmany Mayeta. The testimony assures that the authorities “forced health personnel to turn off cell phones to avoid more leaks.”
Already in Lora there is a story of fire that was not pleasant at all in the pharmacy area. It is better to be cautious before repeating the same story
The official version does not mention any fire, but Sierra Maestra He indicated that members of the Fire Department and the hospital maintenance brigade continue to investigate the event and adopt measures to prevent its repetition.
One of the comments on Facebook recalls: “There is already a story in Lora about a fire that was not pleasant at all in the pharmacy area. It is better to be cautious before repeating the same story.”
The most important hospital in Santiago de Cuba already has a complaint history reported by 14 and a half, due to its poor hygienic conditions and security problems, which the official media has tried to cover up.
