RIMS administration in total disarray?
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 30 2017: Highlighting many lapses in the management of RIMS hospital, many quarters have pointed out that there is an urgent need for streamlining the medical institution's administration.

There are four types of medical colleges in the country.

They are medical colleges established under an Act passed by the Parliament, medical colleges funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, medical colleges funded by State Governments and medical colleges funded by private funding agencies.

AIIMS, the country's most prestigious medical college was established under an Act passed by the Parliament.

Most other medical colleges were established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

RIMS is one medical college funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

But there are many lapses and flaws in the administration and management of the medical college.

RIMS Officiating Director, Medical Superintendent and some heads of departments said that there is an urgent need to address the lapses and streamline the administration.

No IAS officer can hold the post of Director of medical college or a medical institution because an IAS officer is not knowledgeable enough in the affairs of a medical college or a hospital.

As such, only competent medical Professors are appointed to the post of Director of a medical college.

At the same time, one post of Deputy Director is reserved for an MCS officer so that there is no administrative lapses.

However, the Administrative Officer of RIMS has been serving as Deputy Director (Administration) in-charge since November 2016.Even though there is no regular Director at RIMS for a protracted period and there is a growing need for appointment of a regular Director, an Officiating Director has been looking after the administration of RIMS.

When Prof Ch Arunkumar was the Director in-charge, a proposal was sent to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to appoint an official who is currently holding the post of Chief Account Officer cum Financial Advisor to the vacant post of Deputy Director (Administration).

But the proposal was turned down by the ministry on the ground that the particular official was not cleared by the Vigilance.

The particular individual was not given clearance by the Vigilance in connection with the issue of purchasing dental chairs during the time of Director Sekharjit, informed the RIMS Officiating Director, MS and heads of departments.

They further questioned whether the particular individual who was not given clearance by the Vigilance should be appointed to the key post of Chief Account Officer cum Financial Advisor.

Nonetheless, RIMS Officiating Director Prof A Santa informed that he has written to the ministry to fill up the vacant post of Deputy Director (Administration).

Any meeting of the RIMS Executive Council is highly significant and all issues of the medical institution should be deliberated at such meetings.

Generally, the executive council should hold four meetings in a year but it has been quite some time that these meetings have not been held regularly.

Cobalt machine installed at Radiotherapy Department of RIMS Hospital broke down this month and ENT operations were suspended for sometime due to shortage of instruments/ equipment.

Likewise, all services rendered through Ultrasound machine, CT scan machine etc were ceased abruptly when these machines broke down.

There is no mechanism to fix responsibilities or find out the causes of the failure of machines.

Moreover, bed-sheets for in-patients, medicines and non-medicine items are not provided adequately.

The budgetary allocation for RIMS for the current financial year is very little.

But all these problems have been there at RIMS since when the budgetary allocation was relatively larger.

As such there is an acute need for effective coordination between RIMS administration and RIMS hospital administration, said the sources.

Medical Superintendent Prof Arun said that ENT operations which were suspended for some days have been resumed.

Spare parts for repairing the Cobalt machine would be brought soon as the required money has been already deposited and the machine is expected to become operational again from next month, added the Medical Superintendent.

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