Medicine Shortage At RIMS: Jharkhand's Health Minister Irfan Ansari Reprimands Director During Surprise Visit

A stir was created at RIMS, the state's largest government hospital, following a surprise visit by Health Minister Dr Irfan Ansari on Tuesday. Arriving at the Medicine Outpatient Department (OPD) around 11:00 am without prior notice, the Minister took immediate charge upon witnessing long queues of patients.

For approximately half an hour, the Minister assumed the role of a physician—personally examining patients, inquiring about their illnesses, and prescribing medications.

Medicine Shortage Sparks Outrage

The situation escalated when a patient informed the Minister that an essential medicine he had just prescribed was unavailable at the hospital pharmacy.

Verification: The Minister immediately deployed his staff to verify the claim.

Findings: Within minutes, it was confirmed that the prescribed medicine had been out of stock for several days.

Action: Visibly angry, Dr Ansari sternly reprimanded RIMS Director Dr. Rajkumar and Superintendent Dr. HirendraBirua on the spot.

Strict Directives Issued

Emphasising that the government's image was being tarnished by such negligence, the Minister issued clear instructions to the officials:

Zero Tolerance: "Inconvenience to patients will absolutely not be tolerated. It is your responsibility to ensure all necessary medicines remain in stock," he stated.

Daily Monitoring: The availability of medicines in the pharmacy must be checked daily.

Immediate Procurement: The procurement process must be initiated the moment any medicine runs out of stock.

Sanitation And Patient Grievances

During the inspection of the OPD premises, waiting areas, and medicine counters, the Minister expressed dissatisfaction with the filth observed in various locations and ordered immediate improvements to the sanitation system.

Several patients seized the opportunity to share their grievances, including delays in consultation and the unavailability of drugs. The Minister noted these complaints and directed officials to take immediate corrective action, stating that a lack of basic facilities in a super-speciality hospital is unacceptable under any circumstances.

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Aftermath

Concluding the visit, Dr Ansari accused the hospital management of negligence and warned that stringent inspections would follow in the coming days. He reiterated that improving hospital services is a government priority and action will be taken against any form of negligence.

The surprise inspection has caused a stir within the RIMS administration. Consequently, departments related to pharmacy and OPD management have been ordered to prepare and submit a report immediately.

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