Mount Carmel Hospital In Chaos And Darkness As Generators Fail Amidst Power Cut

Mount Carmel psychiatric hospital, Malta’s primary mental health facility, plunged into darkness and chaos for more than four hours on Thursday night.

This unexpected disruption occurred when the hospital’s backup generators failed to function during a power outage.

The power outage, which lasted from 7.30pm to 11.30pm, left patients and staff in an extremely challenging situation. Without any light, apart from their mobile flashlights, hospital staff had to navigate and work in the dark.

Lovin Malta was informed patients were left terrified and confused, with some screaming, panicking, and shouting in the complete darkness. Air conditioning units were also affected, leaving everyone sweltering in the heat.

“Nurses had to use their mobile phones to walk around. They had to give out the evening tablets by using mobile phone light. But the worst part is that this can be dangerous. How can you control a confused aggressive patient in pitch dark?” one source told the newsroom. 

“They’re literally in pitch black. And yeah, it’s horrible. Apparently, the nurses can’t reach out to the doctors. Pagers aren’t working. So they have to, if something comes up, rush all the way to the doctors quarters and find them there”.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, when contacted, confirmed the failure of the hospital’s generators. The union has had ongoing disputes with the government over the need for reliable generators to serve as a backup during power cuts.