JNIMS director orders inquiry

Outrage over delivery sans medical staff on hospital bed rocks JNIMS

By A Staff Reporter

IMPHAL | Jan 10

The director of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) Th. Bhimo constituted an inquiry committee to probe the case of child delivery on hospital bed after alleged negligence by her doctor.

“We have constituted a committee to inquire into the incident. We asked the committee to submit its findings by 4 pm today,” the director of the institute Th. Bhimo told reporters during an interaction programme between the health minister L. Jayentakumar Singh and senior journalists at the former’s office today.

The committee is comprised of doctors from gynae, medicine and forensic departments.

“We will take the next step according to the findings of the committee,” the director said.

It is not known whether the report has been submitted by the deadline.

An Imphal based vernacular daily reported in its January 8 edition that an expecting mother delivered her child on her bed of the institute at 7 am of January 7. The report alleged that the delivery took place without the help of any medical staff, five minutes after the patient’s lady doctor had told her that the delivery would be delayed.

The 32-year-old woman, who hails from Ukhrul district, was admitted to the hospital on January 4. After the delivery on the bed the hospital staff including nurses “forced” the relatives of the patient to clean up the post delivery mess.

Responding to the issue of alleged “indifference” by doctors and nurses leading to frequent confrontations between the relatives of patients and hospital staff the JNIMS director said he has convened a meeting of all the head of departments of the institute tomorrow to discuss problems of the institute and also on measures to maintain a cordial relationship between the hospital and staff and patients’ parties.

The director said because of absence of about 20 junior doctors at the institute after they have gone for appearing examinations for post graduate studies the institute has been facing problems.

Jayentakumar interacted with the journalists on many health related issues including the functions and responsibilities of food safety department of the state.

Answering to the questions on problems of untested food items imported from outside the state, particularly fish coming from outside the minister asserted that construction of the administrative building of the food safety office at Moreh will be completed soon. The process to procure new machines for testing different food items is on the pipeline, he added.

Suggestions from media persons were also heard by the minister. He also assured that all possible steps will be taken up to curb health and food safety related issues.