Facing acute shortage of doctors, paramedic staff, oxygen cylinders and anti-viral drugs in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has made an appeal to the people for support at the time of “most serious problem on the mankind”.
Mr Kumar also ordered for early “walk-in interview” recruitment of doctors and paramedical staff in all district government hospitals.
“We’re facing the most serious problem on mankind ever because of corona. The government is taking all necessary steps with full commitment to get over this (pandemic). Your support is important in this war. Please be aware and alert, have positive thinking, follow doctors advise and guidelines”, tweeted Mr. Kumar on Saturday.
He has been holding marathon meetings almost every day with top officials to review the situation arising out of surge in COVID-19 cases in the State, which is facing breakdown of medial infrastructure.
Long queues of patients could be seen outside overcrowded government and private hospitals, medical shops and oxygen cylinder go-downs. Most of the time, the packed hospitals and medical shops turned away the hapless patients citing lack of beds, medicines or oxygen cylinders. Similarly, long wait for dead bodies have become a regular feature at crematoriums in Patna. Ambulance services are charging exorbitant fares to ferry patients from one hospital to another.
Ambulance charges
Amid such reports of exorbitant charges, the Patna District Magistrate had recently held a meeting with ambulance service providers to fix charges. “In the district government and private hospitals the situation is even worse. No one is there to care for COVID-19 patients as hospitals are facing dearth of doctors, anti-viral drugs, oxygen cylinders and paramedic staff”, said West Champaran-based journalist Abhay Mohan Jha. “People are dying uncared, unnoticed”, he added.
The Bihar Health Services Association general secretary Dr. Ranjit Kumar said that 30-40% of doctors and paramedical staff post are lying vacant in government hospitals in the State.
