The prevailing water scarcity in the state capital and other adjoining areas is likely to rise in the coming days, adding to the woes of thirsty patients of state owned Rajendra Institute of Medical
Sciences (RIMS), as no proper arrangement for water facilities has been made by the hospital administration yet and patients are averse to adopt several measures to arrange proper drinking water.
Recently, Jharkhand High Court (HC) has given clear instructions to ensure proper water facilities on RIMS premises, catering to the needs of patients.
However, arrangement of water facilities at various wards and availability of water purifiers remains a distant dream for patients and their kith and kin, especially those who come from secluded places here for treatment.
As mercury level continues to hover over the 40 degree Celsius mark, there is ample requirement of water both inside hospital wards and for general purpose. The premier medical college and hospital, which has approximately 1,100 bed capacity and caters as many as 5,000 patients’ everyday, has been reeling under acute water shortage since April first week.
One of the most preferred institutes for various medical necessitates at nominal cost has very limited numbers of water coolers-cum-purifiers restricted to selected areas only and just catering the needs of limited visitors. Few of these water purifiers have been out of order since long whereas the rest have been functioning in an erratic manner.
Many patients’ family members have even complained about the problem. However, requests from patients or their caretakers have yet not felt on the deaf ears of hospital administration. The crisis has hit patients and their relatives hard in the peak of summer.
“We are reluctant to buy packaged drinking water from shops outside the hospital, this has incurred additional charges on us, apart the treatment charges which we are already bearing. We had informed the ward boys and nurses several times about the matter, but none of them pay attention,” said Bhanumati Devi, the relative of a patient from lohardaga.
Nevertheless, a section of the RIMS administration has no hunch about the exact number of water filters available at different floors. Besides, admitted patients outside the OPD, who cannot afford packaged drinking water, have been adversely affected by the water crisis and have no alternative to quench their thirst accept borrowing it from other patients family members.
Conceding the severe water crisis, RIMS, Director, Dr Bl Sherwal, informed, “We are constantly putting an effort to make water purifiers available at various floors and it is our priority. Mechanics have been asked to repair water purifiers immediately, those not properly functioning. Moreover, presently, we have adequate water supply in hospital.”