About 150 doctors have been infected with Covid-19 partially crippling health hubs here in the steel city.

As a result of large scale Coronavirus positive cases in doctors and other paramedical staff as well as nurses, the treatment of ailments other than Covid-19 has also started to be affected.

Doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff are getting infected with the Covid in large number in health hubs like Tata Main Hospital, MGM medical college hospital, Tata Motors Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Sadar Hospital and Bramhananda Narayana Multispeciality Hospital.

Concerned with the situation, some of the major hospitals have decided to focus on target groups among the general patients by conducting sample tests for Covid outside the OPD of the hospital.

"About 40 doctors and as many nurses of our hospital are down with the Covid-19, causing serious impact on the treatment of the general patients. Now we are facing a problem of safeguarding our manpower, including doctors from getting infected with the killer virus. We have, therefore, decided to focus on carrying out sample tests of the patients outside the OPD, " said Arun Kumar, superintendent, MGM medical college hospital while talking to The Telegraph Online.

Kumar who himself was tested Coronavirus positive 10 days ago and resumed his duty on Saturday after tested negative said they would focus on the OPD patients to be tested through Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) outside the OPD from Monday.

"As per the new system, any such patient will be allowed to enter the OPD for consultation with the doctor after he or she is tested negative in the RAT. In this way we will be able to protect the doctors who are still uninfected," said the hospital superintendent.

District civil surgeon, AK Lal also expressed concern over the increasing number of doctors being infected with Covid-19 resulting in an adverse impact on the treatment of patients suffering from diseases other than the Covid.

"Now Covid is spreading so fast that the doctors fraternity are getting affected the most as they have to come in contact with the infected patients during consultation. Treatment in hospitals has started to be affected as large number of doctors are compelled to remain at home isolation after getting tested Covid positive, " said Lal while talking to The Telegraph Online.

During the past 24 hours, 472 people were tested Covid positive out of 7056 sample tests carried out by the district health department in the steel city.