CHENNAI: Most private hospitals in the Chennai have cut down on elective surgeries and nearly stopped outpatient services, but hospital managers are worried because young doctors and nurses who are usually posted on duty in the wards are now refusing duty.

Doctors say they have reasons. “I stay at a hostel. The hostel is now closed. I returned to my native place because I don’t have a place to stay in Chennai,” said Dr Sathish A, who works for a 650-bed private hospital. Some others like Dr Shanthi S and nurses Ranjita R and Suchi G told the TOI their parents did not want them to report for duty. “Masks and protection gears are given only to staff attending to covid-19 patients. But we don’t know what will happen if a patient with the infection walks into the out-patient unit without knowing about it,” Suchi said.

Sudar Hospital chief Dr TN Ravishankar said that dwindling staff could be one of the biggest challenges for the health care system. Some hospitals have already started training doctors and paramedics through an online module. “We tell them what to expect, how they should protect themselves, and the things they should remember,” said Dr Ilankumaran Kaliamoorthy, chairman of medical advisory board of the Rela Institute of Medical Sciences.

