The patients and their families at the General Wards of all departments at State-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) seem to be grappling with a larger problem for the past two days: acute water crisis.
There is no water running in any of the taps in the hospital making it difficult for the patients’ families to shell out money from their already empty pockets to buy a 20 litre jar of water at a price of Rs60. However, the patients admitted at the other end of the hospital in the VIP cottages seem to be unaffected by this water crisis and continue to enjoy every facility that they are entitled to.
The General Wards’ patients were already posed with several issues such as shortage of beds, staff, proper and timely food, adequate medicines, free tests and more and now to add to their woes, water crisis seems to be haunting the poor, especially during the dark hours.
“What can be doneIJ Our biggest fault is that we are simply poor and we are treated like-wise. My brother-in-law fractured his right leg and we had to rush him to the hospital yesterday and initially, he lied on the floor till now after which he was shifted on to a bed, when the staff found one,” said Chandrakant Swami, a local from Sonahatu block of Ranchi.
“The roads back in our village are not a concrete one and the jungles there have huge boulders that often lead to critical injuries, but who wants to listen to usIJ We are paying for the branded medicines, buying food and now buying water jars as there is not a single drop of water in the hospital anywhere for the past two days,” added Swami.
Another patient admitted in the Surgery Ward of the hospital seems to be managing his stay on his own. “I had a tumour in my chest and had to undergo an operation here for the same. Though, the operation went well but I have been requesting the doctors to prescribe only generic medicines but in vain. I am out of money and now have to pay up for water. During the night, the charges for a jar of water can go up to Rs 150, which is just unbearable,” said Chandan Bharat, a patient from Bokaro.
Meanwhile, the patients admitted at the VIP cottages seem to be having their cabins moped by the two staff appointed for each cabin. “I was just admitted here in the morning and there is a homely atmosphere here with the staff and doctors being cooperative about our needs. I have been assured that the room would be cleaned twice daily and sprayed with room freshener to make me feel at ease. Hope to get well soon and go home,” said Ram Murat Rai, a 90-year-old from Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh.
The difference in the treatment of the poor, general and the VIPs clearly seem to bring out the discrimination meted out on the part of the hospital authorities. When contacted, the Director of RIMS refuted the entire water crisis to be an exaggeration of the reality.
“There was an acute shortage of water in only one wing of the hospital and not the entire hospital. Now, even that has been fixed with taps running clean water in every ward,” said Dr Bl Sherwal.