Sri Vijaya Puram: Mobile connectivity, or the lack of it, is fast becoming a critical health hazard at G B Pant Hospital, the primary referral hospital in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as doctors and staff grapple with poor to non-existent signal strength across most parts of the campus. Despite the presence of two mobile towers in close proximity, communication during emergencies is being reduced to a game of chance, with serious implications for patient care.
The issue, raised by concerned hospital staff, points to a stark communication void in key operational areas including the labour ward and the rear-side Outpatient Department (OPD), where signal strength ranges from weak to outright dead. BSNL and Jio, two of the major telecom providers in the region, have come under fire for what users describe as “a lack of commitment” in maintaining essential infrastructure in the vital public health facility.
“BSNL connecting India, but not us”
While the hospital premises fall within range of two telecom towers near the psychiatry ward, one operated by Airtel and the other by BSNL, Airtel appears to be functioning barely, according to doctors. The BSNL tower, despite being close by, offers strong signal only in its immediate vicinity. Once inside the concrete structures of the hospital, the signal reportedly vanishes, leaving staff no choice but to step outdoors even during critical emergencies.
“Anyone carrying a BSNL SIM has to physically walk outside the building just to make or receive a call. Imagine doing that during an emergency involving a patient in the labour room,” said one staff member, visibly frustrated.
Contrary to BSNL’s long-standing reputation as a backbone for public sector communication, the situation at G B Pant Hospital suggests a glaring gap in indoor network penetration. While Airtel’s signal is described as “satisfactory,” Jio has reportedly made no visible effort to improve coverage in the hospital complex, its presence described as “non-existent.”
Emergency response compromised
The impact of this connectivity failure is not merely inconvenient, it’s dangerous. Doctors and healthcare workers say they find it “exceedingly difficult” to coordinate during medical emergencies, especially when mobile communication is the only lifeline to reach senior consultants or support services in time.
A senior doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “There have been times when we urgently needed to contact a specialist but couldn’t, simply because no mobile network worked inside the hospital. We’re relying on sheer luck and outdated methods of physical runners to get messages across. It’s absurd in 2025.”
No answers from BSNL
Repeated attempts to contact the Chief General Manager (CGM) of BSNL for a comment on the issue yielded no response until the time of filing this report. The silence from the top brass has only added to the resentment brewing among hospital staff, many of whom feel abandoned by service providers who continue to advertise extensive national coverage while failing at critical local nodes.
The criticism isn’t limited to BSNL. Jio’s complete absence from the picture has prompted concerns over the operator’s commitment to public infrastructure. “It seems that Jio has never made any attempt to make their SIM functional in the hospital campus. There is zero utility here,” another hospital source said.
Caught in a dead zone
The irony is hard to miss: in an era of 5G ambitions and digital healthcare, Sri Vijaya Puram’s largest public hospital remains caught in a mobile dead zone. For doctors and medical staff dealing with life-and-death decisions, a dropped call or a delayed message could spell tragedy.
Until decisive action is taken to boost indoor coverage and signal strength across the hospital complex, healthcare professionals say they remain trapped in an avoidable crisis, with consequences far beyond inconvenience.
