a grave incident reflecting persistent infrastructural neglect, the roof of the medicine ward corridor at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Hospital in Jamshedpur collapsed, killing three patients and injuring two others.
On Saturday, the tragedy struck the B-Block on the third floor, with debris crashing down through the second-floor ceiling and coming to rest on the first. The victims—identified as Lukas Simon Tirki (61) of Gadla, David Johnson (73) of Sakchi, and Shrichand Tanti (65) of Seraikela—were crushed under the rubble in what is referred to as the hospital’s “abandoned patients ward.”
Rescue operations led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) continued late into the night, retrieving the third body around 1 am. Two survivors — 83-year-old Renu Devi and 50-year-old Sunil Kumar — were rescued with injuries; Renu Devi remains in critical condition. In total, 15 patients were present in the ward when the roof gave way. Twelve were found safe.
Deputy Commissioner Ananya Mittal rushed to the site with officials soon after the collapse. A three-member committee, comprising the SDO, the Executive Engineer from the Building Construction Department, and the principal of MGM Medical College, has been constituted to probe the incident. The committee has been directed to submit its report within 48 hours.
Jharkhand’s Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari, who reached the hospital around 11 pm., announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. He further declared that all old and unsafe buildings within the MGM premises would be demolished and the hospital would be shifted to a new facility. Water supply for the new premises, he added, would be arranged in coordination with Tata Steel.
The timing of the collapse narrowly averted a larger tragedy. Just an hour before the incident, a scientific session attended by two dozen doctors had concluded in the adjacent hall. Head of the Department Dr Balram Jha stated that most doctors had walked through the same corridor around 2:30 pm; the roof caved in at 3:20 p.m.
Allegations of administrative negligence have resurfaced in light of the tragedy. Records reveal that three years ago, the same hospital building underwent repairs costing Rs 39 lakh, carried out by the Building Construction Department under the previous state health minister, Banna Gupta. However, insiders allege the repairs were superficial and amounted to little more than a formality, with structural weaknesses left unaddressed.
DC Ananya Mittal confirmed that three bodies had been recovered and that the rescue and relief work had concluded. “An investigation has been ordered, and the findings will be submitted to the Health Department Secretary,” he said. Senior district officials, including SSP Kishore Kaushal and SDO Shatabdi Majumdar, joined the site inspection along with hospital authorities.
In the aftermath, the health minister expressed anguish and firmly stated that this is not a time for political rhetoric but urgent corrective action. The MGM tragedy stands as a stark reminder of the costs of bureaucratic complacency and deferred infrastructure renewal in public health institutions.