When: Sunday, February 7, 2016. 11am

Where: Mohanpur Referral Hospital, Raghopur, Vaishali district

What: Paralysis of healthcare

Absent doctors, locked rooms, not a single patient - this pretty much sums up the scene that this reporter came across on a surprise visit of the hospital in Raghopur, a VVIP constituency 30km north of Patna represented by deputy chief minister Tejaswi whose brother Tej Pratap is the state's health minister.

The government's claims of providing 24x7 emergency services at all health facilities rang hollow when The Telegraph team went around the referral hospital between 11am and 11.30am on Sunday.

At 11 in the morning, the hospital's emergency wing was locked and all the rooms were closed. Not a single patient was admitted in the hospital's indoor wing.

The Telegraph team spotted two auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) resting in a room on the first floor.

A woman of about 30, who was in labour, reached the hospital and was taken to the delivery room by the two ANMs. The two nurses conducted the delivery on their own. The rule is a gynaecologist has to be present during delivery.

"Today is Sunday. How will you get doctors here today? Doctors are on leave," said Sanju Kumari, one of the two ANMs, by way of explanation.

She did not have an answer when asked why she conducted the delivery in the absence of doctors. "There are two lady doctors here. Both of them are on deputation. One of them is available only for five days on roster basis," she said.

The lady who had come for the delivery was aghast. "My delivery is going to take place in the absence of doctors," she exclaimed. "I came here because I thought I would get doctors here," she told The Telegraph but requested she not be named.

Prashant Kumar (35), a resident whom The Telegraph found outside the hospital, was livid. "This hospital is good for nothing. I came here 10 days ago for my relative's treatment and I did not get medicines from the hospital counter," he said.

The guidelines say the emergency wing of the referral hospital has to be operational even on Sundays.

The room of the hospital's medical officer-in charge, Sunil Keshri, was also locked. The Telegraph contacted him by phone on Monday. His explanation: doctors were scared to come to the hospital. "Friday's murder of LJP leader Brijnathi Singh has sent shivers down the spine of doctors. So, all of them were absent from duty on Sunday. The doctors have demanded security," said Keshri.

Keshri said he, too, did not come to the hospital because of a "sense of fear".

The Telegraph could not contact deputy chief minister Tejaswi because his phone was switched off on Monday. Health minister Tej Pratap was also not available for comments. His secretary, Om Prakash, received the call of this correspondent on Monday evening, but disconnected when asked about the absence of doctors at the Mohanpur Referral Hospital.

Principal secretary, health, R.K. Mahajan, told this correspondent on Monday that he would conduct a probe regarding the absence of doctors at the hospital. Later in the evening, Vaishali civil surgeon Indra Dev Ranjan confirmed to The Telegraph that a report had been sought from him regarding the absence of doctors at the referral hospital.

Bihar Health Services Association general secretary Ranjit Kumar, however, defended the doctors. "You cannot expect a doctor to give round-the-clock service. It is inhuman. The government should create more posts of doctors for government health facilities. At present, there are around 3,000 regular and contract doctors against around 2,000 government health facilities. You cannot expect round-the-clock availability of doctors in every government hospital," he said.

Keshri admitted that the referral hospital in Tejaswi's constituency was facing a severe manpower crunch. "We are facing a manpower crisis. The hospital has no regular doctor. There are five doctors on deputation. Of the five doctors, three take turns to come here from the blocks. Even ANMs are working on deputation," he said.