Diesel Generator

Emergency Power for Private Hospitals in Australia

10.11.2022

Sudden power cuts are inevitable even in most developed countries. Sometimes power cuts occur due to bad weather conditions or any problem with the power grid. This problem can worsen during disasters which can cause risk to life.
Sudden power outage for long hours significantly affects hospitals. The private hospital needs special preparation to face these challenges. The most important thing is a diesel generator, it can save private hospitals from a lot of damage to life and instruments.

Across Australia, there are many hospitals and nursing homes available. They are mostly dependent on electricity for running their healthcare facilities.

Which emergency power options do hospitals consider?
The private hospital is not only a HealthCare facility but also a business. Apart from the quality, they need to keep their budget in control.
The most common type of fuel generator hospital use is diesel or natural gas. Generally, they go with diesel ones because diesel can be stored in more amounts than that natural gas. It is because of safety rules. The hospital management considered onsite fuel storage more reliable than off-site.
Natural gas will be delivered through pipes which are difficult to store more than a specified amount.
Most natural gas generators are not able to restore power load in less than 10 seconds, which is why the diesel generator is important for hospital maintenance.

What challenges do hospitals face during power cuts?

Having an alternate source of power is important to deal with power outage situations. Emergency power is necessary to deal with challenges that can affect hospital facilities.

Most facilities are supported by the power

Electrical power is important to run any organisation. The hospital facilities are more dependent on electricity. It makes their functions more complex. If we look at the basic level they require power for security, lighting and for elevators. Elevators are an important transport system in hospitals. Running around from floor to floor is too difficult with all the things.
At the upper level, most patients live there. It is important to maintain power facilities to avoid any inconveniences. For patients who need a special life support system and controlled environment, it can create life-threatening situations.
The advancement of technology and science makes people more dependent on technology which runs on electricity. Even the patients' records are taken care of in an electronic machine.

Standby power issues
Sometimes due to bad weather electrical supply hinders suddenly which can damage devices. The devices are the backbone of the hospital. The standby power will provide an alternative to prevent devices and instrument damage due to power outages.

Where do hospitals necessarily require electricity?
Power is required everywhere in the hospital from the hallway to the elevator to facilities and instruments. They are required in reception and nurse stations to prepare electronic health records and communication. The most important place is the ICU where most patients require instruments to live. In the blood bank, operation rooms, and storage room to save medication and other things required for medical procedures. Other places like the radiology department, laboratory, pathology department and other secondary research places require an emergency power supply to work smoothly and provide better diagnostic views to them. Morgues, tissue storage areas, cafeterias to make food for patients and staff, and dispensaries are other accessory places which need a power supply.
The above departments are essential ones which require an emergency power supply in case of long power cut hours.

How to design an emergency power supply in a private hospital?
Almost every area of the hospital requires a power supply. It should be distributed based on the critical and non-critical places.
The factors like protection of equipment, maintaining environmental conditions and patients should be their priority.
A private hospital is working under a management system that needs a power supply that is reliable, manageable and provides good service. The most important factor is their cost.
A generator is sound-producing and requires open spaces. Hospital management is required to keep it away from the hospital in a secure and dry environment.
You can choose the centralized or distributed configuration. If you need to distribute the power load evenly then the centralized configuration is better but for uneven distribution in critical places, a distributed one is better. You can even go for a hybrid which mixes up both systems as per their needs.

The benefit of having emergency power
Medical facilities require a proper source of emergency power because it can save patients and Healthcare workers in unfavourable situations. A private hospital requires continuous power flow for the smooth and comfortable working of the hospital. It is highly advantageous to have a generator in the hospital because:

Reliable monitoring
When a patient is in the hospital, they are required to continuously monitor by healthcare workers, to check their progress regularly. If they have an electrical supply for emergencies then it will make doctors reliable to monitor every moment of patients even remotely. Also for the critical patient, it is important for their life support.

Operations without worry
During any critical operation the power supply suddenly went off, it would risk the life of the patient. Emergency electricity is required to deal with such dangerous situations so that doctors can work without any worries and give their best to save their patients, especially in case of emergencies like disasters.

No food wastage and preserves sample
Food is prepared in very substantial quantities in hospitals for patients and healthcare workers. During a long power cut, there is a high chance that the food in the freezer can go stale. It will cause a lot of food and money wastage. Along with food in the cafeteria, lab freezers store a lot of samples so it is important to preserve them properly.

Conclusion
Keeping in mind, the reliability of the healthcare industry over electronic instruments, it is important to have a backup power supply for ensuring the safety and smooth running of hospitals. At least in critical places, it is important to have a backup power supply.

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