500 doctors, health workers of Bihar's two leading hospitals infected in second COVID wave

AIIMS and PMCH along with another state-run medical establishment, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, are catering to a large number of COVID patients in Patna.
Representational Image. (Photo | PTI)
Representational Image. (Photo | PTI)

PATNA: More than 500 doctors and health workers of the two leading hospitals in Patna -- AIIMS and Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) -- have been infected with coronavirus during the ongoing second wave, sources said.

Altogether, 384 employees of AIIMS Patna, including doctors, nurses, sanitation workers, have been infected during the second wave so far, its Medical Superintendent C M Singh told PTI.

PMCH Superintendent Dr Indu Sekhar Thakur said more than 125 of its employees have tested positive so far.

He said the list includes 70 doctors and over 55 nurses and other health workers.

AIIMS and PMCH along with another state-run medical establishment, Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, are catering to a large number of COVID patients in the state capital.

The PMCH superintendent said that the hospital authorities have arranged separate isolation spaces for its infected employees.

PMCH, the century-old premier hospital of Bihar, has a facility of around 105 beds for COVID patients barring its staff and all are occupied at present, Thakur said.

AIIMS Patna has expanded its bed capacity to 250 and all the beds are occupied.

The PMCH superintendent said that due to the infection of many staffers, the hospital is facing a manpower shortage.

"But since leave of all the staff has been cancelled, we are managing the functioning of the COVID wards," he said.

Meanwhile, the Bihar chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has published a list of 40 doctors across the state with their phone numbers for assistance to the needy.

"Our doctors are providing treatment over the phone to patients who are primarily in home isolation," its state president Dr Shahjanand Singh said.

Singh, a surgeon, is himself on the list of doctors helping the needy during the crisis.

The IMA Bihar chief said these doctors are available over the phone from 10 am-12 noon and 4-6 pm.

The state's coronavirus death toll rose to 1,897 on Wednesday after 56 more people succumbed to the disease, while 12,222 new cases took the tally to 3,54,281, the health department said in a bulletin.

It said that 4,774 patients have recovered from COVID-91 in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cured people to 2,88,637.

The state now has 63,746 active cases.

Of the fresh fatalities, 13 each were reported from Patna and Bhagalpur districts.

The remaining deaths were registered in several other districts.

The new positive cases included 2,919 from state capital Patna and 861 from Gaya district, the bulletin said.

Altogether 105980 samples were tested for COVID-19 in Bihar during the last 24 hours taking the total number of such tests to 2,55,41,936 so far.

In Bihar, 93,164 people took the vaccine against COVID-19 on Wednesday and a total of 61,68,593 people have got the jab till date.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Bihar Judicial Services Association and Additional District and Sessions Judge of Kishanganj District, Ajit Kumar Singh, has written to the state government demanding that judicial officers and employees of all civil courts be inoculated.

Patna High Court Deputy Registrar Nasimul Hoda, who was infected with Corona, died at his residence on Tuesday night.

Three days ago, Assistant Registrar of the same court, Jagan Mishra, also died.

Judicial magistrate Manish Kumar, who was a COVID-19 patient, died at a private hospital in Patna On Tuesday night.

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