MGM Medical College & Hospital might have been designated as a Covid-19 care hospital, but officials at the government-run heal hub admitted that it lacks the necessary manpower for treating novel coronavirus patients.

This is the reason why the district health authorities prefer to admit Covid-19 patients at the Tata Main Hospital (TMH), the most accessed hospital of the steel city. There have been three confirmed cases in East Singhbhum district so far and all of them are admitted at TMH.

MGM has an adequate number personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and N-95 masks necessary for the medical staff, specially the doctors and nurses, for treating Covid-19 patients. It also has a 100-bed Covid ward which is equipped with one ventilator. The hospital has developed a system of providing oxygen through a pipeline to the Covid ward, to compensate for the dearth of ventilators during emergency situations.

“But we have a shortage of doctors and supportive medical staff,” Dr Nakul Prasad Chaudhary, deputy superintendent, MGM Medical College Hospital, told The Telegraph on Friday. “We are running short of about 30 per cent doctors and supporting medical staff, including nurses and even ward boys. This is a perennial problem of this medical college hospital.

He pointed out this was the reason that the district health department preferred to send novel coronavirus patients to TMH, which is also a designated Covid-care hospital.

The other three designated Covid hospitals in East Singhbhum district are Uma Superspeciality Hospital near Big Bazaar along the NH-33 in Mango, St John's Hospital, also along the NH-33 in Bhilaipahadi close to Ghatshila, and Tata Motors Hospital in Telco.

Thanks to Covid-positive patients being admitted in TMH, patient turnout at the hospital, which is mostly accessed by Tata Steel employees or their kin, has fallen by 70 per cent. Only 30 percent of patients who need emergency medical care are coming, said sources at TMH.

The outpatient departments (OPDs) at TMH are also running with skeletal strength of the doctors.

“In each of the OPDs, only one doctor is attending the patients, that too junior doctors,” said a senior official at TMH. “Senior doctors are not coming as the patient turnout is also very low ever since the Covid-positive patients have been admitted here on Tuesday.”

Apart from the three confirmed Covid-19 patients, 22 persons are admitted at the TMH isolation ward.