RIMS plagued by series of problems

​Adilabad: The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) hospital is plagued by a series of problems, causing inconvenience to patients. Several doctors, including the medical officer are irregular in coming to the hospital and the patients have been demanding the State government to take appropriate steps and ensure that medical officers give priority to hospital work over their private practice.

In fact, the patients have been complaining that the medical officers are discourteous in their behaviour and talk rudely to them. They prescribe tablets for them only for namesake in spite of budgetary allocations.

Besides, the patients are not allowed to use lifts. Speaking to The Hans India here on Wednesday some of the patients said that the medical officers were giving more importance to their private practice, thereby neglecting their duties at RIMS.

The other problems that they were facing were unhygienic conditions, denial of wages to hospital workers for months together and lack of drinking water amenities in the hospital premises, they added.

They said that they were forced to beg the medical officers for providing them medical treatment. Otherwise, the doctors would be indifferent towards them, they lamented.

Even in cases relating to medical emergencies caused by accidents, they refer the patients either to a hospital in Hyderabad or in Nagpur without even providing first aid. They draw fat salaries of more than Rs 1 lakh a month, but rarely visit the institution to provide treatment, the patients lamented.

In fact, the hospital has 93 doctors. They treat their job as a part-time affair devoting more time to their private practice.

At least, 1,200 patients enter the portals of hospital to receive medical treatment. The hospital prescribes four kinds of medicines. Among these, three varieties have to be bought by patients from outside. The hospital staff members wash their hands off by giving them a few tablets.

The State government’s budget for each quarter is Rs 62 lakh. In addition, the hospital procures medicines from outside medical stores.

A patient’s attendant Srinivas lashed out against the hospital authorities for their failure in supplying medicines. Medicines have become scarce.

The hospital authorities are cruel enough to make patients, including expectant mothers, climb up four floors by using the staircase though there is a lift in the hospital. The lift, it is alleged, is meant for the exclusive use of medical officers.

Toilets are dirty and unhygienic in the hospital in spite of the fact the hospital spending Rs 1 lakh a day for keeping the premises clean and tidy. One of the hospital workers Anasuya said that the hospital owed each of the 110 workers at least Rs 12,000 and they were denied wages for the past three months.

There is no drinking water facility in the hospital. Rajanna, an attendant of a patient, said that he and others were buying water bottles from outside.

The Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant in the hospital seems to be useless. It appears as though the hospital has no water to flush its toilets. Relatives of patients are going outside of the hospital to take bath.

There are allegations that a majority of the 93-odd doctors visit the hospital very rarely but sign in the attendance register for all days visiting the facility only twice or thrice a month. The biometric attendance records would not work for the reasons best known to the medical staff.

The patients have been demanding the State government to take disciplinary action against the doctors for their negligence and indifference.