SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Jan 12: In an unprecedented move, Dhanbad’s District Disaster Management (DDM) has removed the senior teacher Dr DP Bhushan as the nodal officer of Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital’s (SNMMCH) dedicated Covid care centre. Dr Masoom Alam, medical officer of the health department, has been appointed in his place.
The administrative change has been made in the wake of continuous commotion created by admitted Covid positive patients over mismanagement in supply of food and medicine facilities.
As per the notification of the state government, administration of the college hospital is under district administration. Dhanbad SDM Prem Kumar Tiwari assessed the condition of the Covid care centre at SNMMCH after the commotion of infected persons. Thereafter, in the evening, a notification for removal of the nodal officer was issued.
DDM had set up two Covid care centers in the medical college hospital at PG Block and Cath Lab last year in wake of the Corona pandemic, for providing specialized treatment to infected Covid patients.
Two senior most teachers of the medical college Dr DP Bhushan, head of the department orthopaedics and Dr UK Ojha, senior professor medicine department were made the nodal officer of PG Block and Cath Lab respectively.
The management of PG Block Covid care centre of the medical college hospital was put under scanner after a positive patient of Giridih district escaped from the ward. The patient has yet to be traced.
SDM Prem Kumar Tiwari said that the patients were being provided facilities as per requirement. Some of them can be sent to home isolation.
“If needed, some of them could be shifted at the Central Hospital of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) for treatment,” the SDM added.
DDM officials said that total active cases in the district are 669 and 194 are in home isolation and are properly being monitored through telemedicine services. In the last 24 hours (till Tuesday night), 158 new cases were found and 138 patients were discharged from different hospitals in the district.
