The novel coronavirus has laid bare the government’s ill-preparedness to tackle the pandemic.

MGM Medical College & Hospital, the biggest government heal hub in Kolhan, is running its isolation ward with a single ventilator that doesn’t function properly.

The isolation ward on the first floor in the new seven-storey building has 10 beds.

Each of the 10 beds should be equipped with a ventilator.

‘We have two ventilators at the surgical ICU and one at the isolation ward. But unfortunately the ventilator at the isolation ward is not functioning. We have sent a requisition to the state health department for 10 ventilators urgently,” superintendent Sanjay Kumar said.

He said so far three coronavirus suspects had been kept at the isolation ward.

“They were discharged after they tested negative. Had any one of them tested positive, a functional ventilator would have been necessary and we would have been in a spot,” Kumar admitted.

The hospital also lacks personal protection equipment (PPE) kits necessary to handle coronavirus-positive patients.

The hospital superintendent said the state health department had three days ago promised to send the PPE kits.

East Singhbhum DC Ravi Shankar Shukla and other senior administrative officials review the steel city’s lockdown at the district collectorate on Thursday.

Docs complain

Doctors in Dhanbad have also expressed their concern over the lack of PPE kits.

State president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr A.K. Singh said: “Only a limited number of PPE kits are available at PMCH. Not a single private doctor has these protective gear.”

District secretary of IMA Dr Sushil Kumar said he had attended to over 50 cough-and-cold cases at his clinic without any protection.