Jamshedpur, Nov. 27: The MGM Medical College and Hospital would soon be equipped with a round-the-clock medicine shop. The medicine shop would not only be a lifeline for people turning up at the hospital at odd hours but also cater to people going to private nursing homes in the city.

“The round-the-clock medicine shop is being opened in the medical college hospital to improve our services to the patients. This is a part of many other services that would come up at the hospital to facilitate patients there,” said the medical college principal D.N. Mukherjee. He said proposals for a telephone booth and a canteen on the hospital premises have also been sent.

Mukherjee said the requisition for setting up these three establishments have already been sent to the public works department (building construction) and construction work would begin some time in the first week of December.

The medical college principal said people had been demanding a round-the-clock medicine shop on the hospital premises for a long time but the administration was not too interested in actually starting one in view of the low turnout of patients.

“But the situation has completely changed now. All the beds in the medical and orthopaedics departments are occupied and it is our primary job to provide the best treatment to those turning up at our hospital,” he said.He said that just a year ago the MGM Hospital was being considered as a hospital for the poorest of the poor. But now people from all strata are coming over for treatment, which is encouraging.

Mukherjee said they would soon be floating tenders for operating the medicine shop and the bidder would have to submit an affidavit promising that they would keep the medicine shop open 24 hours a day. “We will be specially strict on timing and the hospital management will ensure that the medicine shopkeeper has sufficient variety of stocks,” said the principal.According to sources, the district administration had assured the hospital management of providing two armed guards to beef up security arrangement in the hospital premises. According to sources, one of the armed guards would be posted near the medicine shop and the other at the emergency ward. The armed guards would be posted in addition to the existing number of night watchmen in the hospital.

According to the sources, the medical college administration had already sent a proposal to the department of health (Medical Education), requesting the authorities concerned for proper security arrangements at the hospital but authorities delayed giving its nod.