State health minister Banna Gupta on Monday said filling up vacancies at state-run healthcare hubs at all levels would be his top priority.

Gupta, the Jamshedpur West MLA, inspected the emergency and other wards of the over-500-bed, state-owned MGM Hospital and admitted that resource crunch in government-owned healthcare centres was his biggest challenge.

He also discussed problems with MGM doctors and nursing staff in a two-hour meeting.

“The previous government has only created infrastructure with three new medical colleges but has failed to provide resources like doctors, nursing staff and paramedics,” Gupta said after the meeting.

“The situation is the same not only in all the six medical colleges (including the three old medical colleges), but also at hospitals at district, block and village levels. Several rural hospitals are lying locked due to lack of doctors. I have asked my department principal secretary to compile a list of hospitals along with their manpower requirements. After getting the figure I will meet the chief minister to initiate steps to fill up the vacancies.”

Later, he held a meeting with Tata Steel vice-president (corporate services), Chanakya Chaudhary, Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Limited managing director Tarun Daga, MGM Hospital superintendent Dr Sanjay Kumar and deputy superintendent Dr Nakul Choudhary at the Circuit House here.

This was the first time the minister visited the biggest state-owned hospital in the Kolhan region after assuming charge as health minister.

He told reporters that instruction has been given to the hospital superintendent and also the health principal secretary to display prominently stock of essential medicines and details of doctors, nurses and paramedics.

“I have asked the principal secretary (Nitin Madan Kulkarni) to ensure that stock of essential medicines and manpower list (doctors, nursing and paramedics) with duty hours and contact numbers should be displayed prominently along with contact numbers of civil surgeons, principal secretary and health minister at all hospitals from district to village level. People have the right to know all these details and if they do not find the staff concerned at the hospital they can bring it to the notice of superiors for necessary action,” said Gupta.

It was seen as an indirect admission that doctors and staff often go missing from duty.

The minister said that he had apprised Tata Steel officials of their need to continue shouldering the responsibility of meeting the medical needs of the poor at their hospital.

“I have asked Tata Steel officials to abide by the lease renewal conditions and provide healthcare facilities for poor too at cheap rate not only in Tata Main Hospital but also in their dispensaries. They have assured to look into it. I will also have a talk with Tata Steel CEO and MD T.V. Narendran soon,” added Gupta.

“We will take the help of Tata Steel in improving cleaning and meeting shortcoming of dressers and paramedics for better functioning of MGM Hospital. I have also met Indian Medical Association officials in Ranchi and Jamshedpur and they have assured to help in tiding over the crisis of doctors at government hospitals,” he added.