The state health department has converted the Hotwar mega sports complex into a giant isolation ward and a large part of premier government-run hospital RIMS into a Covid-19 treatment centre, but some private doctors pointed to basic loopholes.

The loopholes range from the paucity of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers to ill-preparedness to detect coronavirus cases.

Unlike neighbours Bihar, Bengal and Odisha, Jharkhand does not yet have a coronavirus patient yet, but preparations for isolation and treatment have gained pace.

A health department official said they were preparing a 243-bed isolation ward at Hotwar and a 60-bed Covid-19 treatment hub on the first and ground floors of the RIMS trauma centre.

“There are 32 halls at Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium. Eight of them have been converted into an isolation ward with as many as 243 beds. Jharkhand State Sports Promotion Society has made the preparations. If required, other halls can also be converted into isolation wards depending on the gravity of the situation,” the official said.

“Similarly, the ground and first floors of the trauma centre at RIMS have been converted into a 60-bed Covid-19 hospital. The number of beds will be increased to 100 once the second floor is vacated by shifting patients from the trauma centre to the ICU on the fourth floor of the adjacent superspecialty building,” the health official said.

Ranchi civil surgeon Dr Vijay Bihari Prasad said private hospitals were being asked to pitch in and coordinate with the state government to fight the pandemic.

“In Ranchi, we are planning to get Paras Hospital and Kalawati Hospital ready for the handling novel coronavirus cases as early as possible,” Dr Prasad added.

Others, however, said much more needed to be done.

“The government means well,” Indian Medical Association coordinator Ajay Singh said. “But proper arrangements for detection, which are a must, I find missing.”

He added: “I have heard many taking about ventilators but we should first think about handling a coronavirus patient in such a way that he responds to treatment without needing a ventilator (used in the last stages of the respiratory disease). Also, health workers should be trained to properly use ventilators.”

He said most important was the atmosphere should be such that people don’t show reluctance to voluntarily come for tests and treatment.

Director of Dev Kamal Hospital and alumnus of the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, Dr Anant Sinha said it was worrying that the government had not given PPE kits for Covid-19 cases to health workers in private hospitals. “We have received assurances but not the kits. I am ready with PPE used in handling HIV-positive cases,” he added.