PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, Mar 28: The five-storey paying ward at Rajendra Institute of Medical Science, which was constructed in 2018 at a cost of Rs 22 crore, is going to become a dead asset due to the mere issue of accessibility.
A short visit to the paying ward revealed that out of the 100 fully furnished rooms with the facility of two beds, a television, an air conditioner and a fridge, only 3 are occupied by patients getting treatment at RIMS.
Affirming the point of accessibility, Deputy Medical Superintendent of RIMS Dr Sailesh Tripathi said that he will talk to the Director about the matter. However, he failed to provide any deadline for the same.
On the question of whether the fees for the room will be reduced in future to increase the admission in the paying ward, he said that he will definitely think about it as it will increase the number of admissions in the ward.
At the ward, which was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister Raghubar Das on July 26, 2018, a patient can avail facilities similar to a private hospital at Rs 1,000 per room per day.
The sources at RIMS said that due to the issue of accessibility, doctors don’t tend to visit the paying ward because of which very few admissions in the paying ward can be seen.
At the same time, majority of patients getting admitted in the paying ward are from the medicine department from where the paying ward is easily accessible.
However, another source said that due to the very high cost of the room (Rs 1000 per day), people refrain from getting admission in the paying ward.
Devesh, who had reached RIMS for her wife’s open-heart surgery, said, “On the suggestion of Dr Vineet Mahajan of CTVS department, I got my wife admitted in the paying ward. Though it is difficult for me to afford such a huge amount on daily basis, still after looking at the condition of the general ward I decided to get a room here only as it is much safer for her and it will also keep any kind of infection away from her.”
On asking about the procedures to get a room in the paying ward, he said, “I was told to write a letter to the Superintendent of RIMS demanding a bed in the paying ward, which was approved by the doctor. Then I submitted the letter to the Superintendent’s office and after the approval, I was allotted this room.”
He also added that Dr Vineet Mahajan is visiting the patient daily to take the whereabouts of the patient.
The five-storey paying ward has four elevators. The ground floor has a dining hall, conference hall, kitchen and recreation room.
