COVID-19: RIMS found wanting on many aspects
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 31 2020: The way RIMS Hospital authorities have been tackling the issue of COVID-19 has peeved many people.

Even as the doctors and the nurses have asked the authorities to make COVID-19 test compulsory for each and every patient and them as well in the face of some doctors there testing positive for the virus, and provide them PPE, the authorities have not been paying any heed, said the frontline workers.

Moreover, the authorities have not been paying any heed to the repeated appeals to install rapid COVID-19 testing kits which can give results within 25 to 45 minutes.

Notably, RIMS is fully funded by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare but its ranking among medical colleges of the country slipped from 28 in 2019 to 38 in 2020 .

When COVID-19 cases were first detected in the State, RIMS authority boldly stated that RIMS was fully prepared to face all the eventualities arising out of the pandemic.

Some employees of RIMS who have been fighting the contagion as vanguards told The Sangai Express that there are many lapses and drawbacks in the way RIMS has been tackling the issue of COVID-19 even though it looks quite impressive outwardly.

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, RIMS is now facing a lot of difficulties and this can be partly blamed on the failure to complete development/construction works in time.

Compelled by the situation, a large number of patients undergoing treatment in different wards have been discharged and the wards thus vacated are being used for COVID-19 treatment.

As such, it evokes a serious question whether RIMS should treat only COVID-19 patients at the cost of all other patients.

In the meantime, a number of doctors, nurses and attendants working at RIMS have been tested COVID-19 positive thereby putting itself in a very tricky situation.

Already a number of wards including casualty ward and OPD have been shut although some specific wards are still open.

However, some doctors, nurses and attendants working in these specific wards have been tested positive for the contagion.

As such, there is no guarantee that the virus would not spread to patients from those doctors, nurses and attendants.

Yet, no arrangements have been made to test the patients for COVID-19.Not only patients, all the doctors, nurses and attendants working in the specific wards need to be tested for the virus.

Except for PG doctors, nurses and attendants, no senior doctor can be seen either at the wards already closed or which are still open.

On the other hand, neither the RIMS Director nor the Medical Superintendent has ever bothered to enquire about the health condition of doctors and nurses who have been treating COVID-19 patients and staying put at the hospital.

In the meantime, many patients are being brought to the hospital because they are close to Ministers, police officers and other influential people.

While the entire hospital is being manned by only PG doctors, the hostel for PG students/doctors has been closed after five of them tested positive for COVID-19.Majority of the nurses have been sent home and all their work loads have been put on a small number of nurses.

Just because one COVID-19 positive Ultrasound technician walked by the Casualty ward, the ward has been closed and the Medical Superintendent went for home quarantine after one of his security escort personnel tested positive.

However, the authorities never care to enquire about the doctors and nurses who have been staying together with COVID-19 patients.

In case any of them dare to raise any voice of grievance or complaint, they are threatened with termination under the Disaster Management Act, decried the frontline workers.

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