The very youngest babies who are being treated in the theatre complex of Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital instead of the intensive care unit‚ are at risk of blindness‚ a doctor warned on Tuesday. The generator for the Southern Hemisphere's biggest hospital failed in the early hours of the morning‚ forcing doctors to rush ICU patients on ventilators to parts of the hospital with power.The patients are being treated in the theatre complex where the generators are functional.Since the power outage‚ however‚ the air compressor needed to mix oxygen with air for patients has failed.This means the babies are now on pure oxygen‚ according to a doctor at the hospitalThis is toxic for young babies‚ said the doctor. It can lead to blindness.The Gauteng Department of Health said earlier that patients from ICU being treated in theatre were not at risk."This is a lie‚" said the doctor. He said they were at risk.Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu said that 24 patients in the ICU and High Care section of the Soweto hospital had to be evacuated this morning‚ adding that an emergency ambulance was on standby to transfer patients to other facilities‚ in case that was required."The hospital lost power around 3am today due to alleged cable theft in the area‚" Mahlangu said. "The hospital’s 11 generators kicked in immediately‚ except one ICU generator."City Power had assured the Department that power would be restored to the hospital during the course of the day‚ the MEC said.Democratic Alliance health spokesman Jack Bloom praised the doctors and nurses for rushing the patients out of ICU to parts of hospital with power but criticised the Infrastructure Development Department‚ which is responsible for maintenance at the hospital.“I am appalled that yet again there has been a generator failure at this hospital‚” he said. “There has to be accountability and firm steps taken to ensure that this never happens again.”On 23 April when there was a power failure at Baragwanath‚ the generator for the emergency theatres failed. Bloom said at the time: "Emergency patients were moved to other theatres‚ but it is of great concern that a key generator was out of action for four and a half hours".A theatre at Baragwanath also flooded today‚ said Bloom‚ but he was not sure why. "There is no maintenance. There a ‘fix it when it breaks’ policy‚" said a doctor at the hospital. -TMG Digital/The Times..