A portion of the second-floor corridor of the medicine ward at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital in Jamshedpur collapsed on Saturday, triggering chaos within the hospital premises. At least four persons are feared to have been trapped under the debris, though two have been rescued so far — a critically injured elderly woman and a male patient.
The incident occurred in the B Block of the hospital, located in Sakchi, which houses the medicine department. According to hospital authorities, the affected structure was over four decades old and in visibly dilapidated condition. Both rescued patients are reportedly without attendants and are categorised as “unclaimed.”
Deputy Superintendent of MGM Hospital, Dr Nakul Chaudhary, confirmed the structural collapse and acknowledged the building’s deteriorated state. “The section that collapsed was part of the corridor on the second floor. Two patients have been pulled out, both of whom were unaccompanied. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has taken over the ongoing rescue operations,” he said.
The collapse led to scenes of panic as in-patients, hospital staff, and attendants rushed outdoors. Many patients could be seen sitting on the hospital grounds, unwilling to re-enter the building until assurances of structural safety were provided.
Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy visited the site and squarely blamed the government and hospital administration for neglecting infrastructure upkeep. “The responsibility for this incident lies with the administration. They continued housing patients in a known unsafe structure despite repeated warnings,” Mr Roy told reporters.
Jamshedpur East MLA Purnima Sahu also visited the hospital and called for an impartial investigation and urgent repair of all unsafe hospital blocks.
It is pertinent to note that the state government had earlier commissioned the construction of a new 500-bed hospital on Mango-Dimna Road under the MGM Medical College umbrella. Inaugurated by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the new facility was intended to absorb patient load from the old MGM Hospital. However, the shifting process has been stalled due to water supply shortages and other infrastructural challenges.
This incident has once again highlighted the precarious condition of public healthcare infrastructure in Jharkhand and the urgent need for remedial measures.