ROURKELA: The recent drop in infection rate has come as a relief for Sundargarh’s once-overwhelmed Covid hospitals which are facing an acute shortage of doctors.
But the worry of the administration is far from over as the decline in new cases may be deceptive given the rapid infection pattern in the second wave.
To prepare for the worst, the administration is coming up with more Covid centres but the shortage of doctors to run these facilities remains a reality.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is scheduled to dedicate the first phase of the Covid hospital with 500 oxygen-supported beds of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) on June 2.
In the first phase, 100 beds will be inaugurated and the State government will run the hospital.
However, the facility will not be used immediately, partly due to lack of requirement for Covid facilities and shortage of doctors.
Overwhelmed by the sudden surge in infections from April onwards, the district administration declared three private hospitals and the super specialty hospital of RSP as designated Covid facilities at Rourkela.
Administrative sources said to overcome the acute shortage of experienced doctors, the government deployed a few PG doctors from different medical colleges while VIMSAR, Burla provided 27 house surgeons for Rourkela.
Besides, the Rourkela city administration also managed to rope in 15 doctors from private and Central government facilities.
But these arrangements proved inadequate. Sources said there is a little possibility of RSP providing doctors for Covid duty as the its Ispat General Hospital (IGH) is hard-pressed with only 90 doctors and 49 PG medical students to run its 700-bed facility including 135-bed Covid hospital.
Rourkela ADM Aboli Sunil Naravane said the new RSP facility would not be immediately used as the city has adequate vacant oxygen beds at multiple Covid care centres.
If the need arises in future, services of AYUSH and internee doctors would be used to run the new Covid hospital, she added.