Settled JNIMS begins to generate handsome revenue
Management streamlined, income healthy
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 05 2012: Consequent to streamlining of its management, Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) has finally managed to generate healthy revenue of its own.

According to an informed source, JNIMS had registered daily income of Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 last year which increased to the tune of Rs 1 lakh or above at currently following intense and effective measures by the institute authorities to streamline the management in the last few months.

It is said that at present, JNIMS Hospital (formerly JN Hospital) is providing treatment and diagnosis facilities to about 600 to 910 patients in the out patients department (OPD) on a daily basis by levying nominal fee of Rs 10 each.

Along with the cumulative revenues collected in the form of OPD fee and service charges for operation, blood testing and X-ray the total revenue amount averages about Rs 1.3 to Rs 1.4 lakhs each day.

The reason, according to the source, for the daily JNIMS revenue collection hovering around the Rs 50-60,000 mark in its formative period was due to absence of an effective revenue collection mechanism.

The JNIMS building

With the successful streamlining of the hospital management the previous practices of some staff members pocketing or sharing among themselves revenue collected from blood testing, X-ray and investigation have been effectively curbed, explained the source and added that it is now mandatory for the patients to pay these fees at the main counter.

While reports of malpractices by some of the staff members reached the Hospital authorities to subsequently result in the streamlining the management, similar surreptitious conduct of some doctors entailed stricter rules and mechanism for uniform revenue collection.

These doctors used to insist on testing or investigation at private firms inspite of the facilities already in place at the Hospital, maintained the source.

Lack of professional ethics on the part of the hospital doctors has also been cited as the chief factor for many representatives of private clinics loitering inside the hospital which has come down significantly with the settling down of the management as well as prohibitory order against non-patients.

Lack of transparency in maintaining stock of medicines and subsidiary items compared to persistence for purchase on a regular basis on the ground that stock had exhausted was another factor for the loss of hospital revenue in the past, disclosed the source.

Along with streamlining of the management checking of stock position including detailed accounting of expired medicines and those damaged in transportation are being maintained thereby minimising misuse of hospital resources.

At present medicines and other items are stocked at the central store of JNIMS from where every details such as day and time of movement to the hospital store, wards and administration/provision to the patients are minutely recorded.

Under specific arrangement excess stocks are provided to other link hospitals and medical centres, informed the source.

Inspite of all out effort by the hospital authorities lack of administrative personnel is said to be impeding smooth implementation of the measures, conceded the source while conveying that in case any indiscretion is found or detected relevant staff or doctor concerned are advised to mend their act/conduct.