Junior doctors at the Radiology wing of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) went on a pen down strike on Tuesday against the hospital administration’s alleged apathy towards defunct machines and demanded a new set of machines for easy and accurate diagnosis of patients.
The medicos alleged that the CT Scan machine in the department is defunct since five months. Besides, two ultrasound machines are not functioning and the over 10 year old MRI machine also stops functioning abruptly.
The junior doctors on Tuesday threatened to go on a hunger strike if the RIMS administration does not address the issues of defunct machines in the State-run hospital. They alleged that defunct machines not only made it difficult for patients to get quick diagnoses but also left the doctors with no option to learn.
“All the diagnosis work at RIMS is done by a private agency Medall. The Government has to pay for all the pathological diagnosis to the agency,” said Dr. Ajit Kumar, president, Junior Doctors’ Association of RIMS.
Kumar added that junior doctors have to pay a heavy price for the sorry state of affairs in RIMS’ Radiology wing as they hardly get to learn anything about Radiology.
Private diagnostic lab Medall Scans and Labs Ranchi Ltd has been functioning out of RIMS since August 2015. Junior doctors say that almost all diagnostics of patients in RIMS are done by the private lab.
Kanke legislator Jeetu Charan Ram, who also happens to be a member of the RIMS governing body, met the junior doctors on Tuesday and promised to take up their problems with the Minister concerned. “The students’ concern is genuine. I will take up the matter with the minister,” said Ram. RIMS campus comes under the Kanke assembly segment.
The doctors alleged that Radiology machines at RIMS often remain defunct and private diagnostic centres in the vicinity of the hospital make money by providing quick diagnosis to patients. “Even if Medall does the diagnosis, we are wasting the money of taxpayers in something that can be done for free in the hospital,” Kumar said.
A medico said that diagnosis worth at least Rs.1 lakh is done at RIMS every day and the administration is not interested in saving this added expenditure.
Meanwhile, newly elected Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth met doctors at RIMS on Tuesday and asked them to approach him for any kind of assistance they might require from the centre. “I have asked the doctors to prepare a report on the help they require from the centre to ensure the best of medical facilities in RIMS. I want RIMS to be well-equipped to treat critical cases, so that no patient has to be sent to other hospitals in air ambulances,” Seth said.
RIMS is the largest state-run hospital in Jharkhand, and caters to the medical needs of rural and urban residents from across Jharkhand. On an average, the hospital treats at least 1500 patients every day.