The doctors and staff of one of the two private hospitals the state has designated as dedicated Covid-19 hospitals here have refused to work at the facility.

The two main doctors, who happen to be father and son at the family-run hospital at Chitragupt Nagar in Jhumri Telaiya, have cited health reasons, locked up the hospital and handed over the keys to the administration.

The hospital, the only one in the district with a ventilator, was converted into a Covid-19 facility earlier this month.

On April 13, deputy commissioner (DC) Ramesh Gholap, civil surgeon Dr Parvati Nag and Dr Manoj Kumar, the district surveillance officer-cum-nodal officer of the hospital, had visited the facility to take stock of arrangements.

The DC had asked the doctor son of the hospital’s physician founder to prepare a duty roster for doctors and health workers.

The very next day, the management locked up the hospital.

The son wrote to the civil surgeon and stated his inability to work in the Covid facility, saying he had undergone an open heart surgery in 1999 and was on oral anticoagulant and antiseptic drugs. He said he could not handle ventilation, nebuliser fitting and ICU work due to the high risk of aerosol generation.

His father, a well-known physician of the district, also refused to work in a Covid facility citing his old age and diabetes.

The administration, however, is reluctant to give up the hospital as it has nine intensive care units (ICUs) and a ventilator. The other designated Covid-19 hospital has 100 beds but neither an ICU nor a ventilator.

Nodal officer Dr Manoj Kumar told The Telegraph that a new team of three doctors and four auxiliary nurse midwives had been formed.

“We are not getting any cooperation from the hospital management,” he said.