By Sanjoo Thangjam

Dr A. Santa Singh, Director of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), the premier medical institute of the Northeast with its headquarters located at Imphal, Manipur inaugurated five projects on 25th September.

The first two projects were – a 50-bedded COVID Care Centre and a COVID Care Private Ward, constructed on the institute’s campus.

And the other three projects were – PSA – (Pressure Swing Adsorption) Oxygen Generation and refilling Station, Hospital Record Department and Store House for Condemned Materials.

Director Dr Santa Singh also inaugurated a hospital record department and a storehouse for condemned materials during the function.

The Director said that since its establishment, the 50 year-old institute has so far produced a total of 3,656 doctors including 2101 specialist doctors, 75 clinical psychologists, 157 dental surgeons, and 300 BSc nurses.

Nonetheless, the OPD (Out-Patient department) attendance also jumped to 7.67 lakh patients which recorded a 94% increase over the previous year’s figure. Moreover, roughly about 1.3 lakh patients were treated in the casualty as well.

Later addressing a gathering inside the new 50-bedded Covid Care Centre Director Dr A Santa said that the new separate Covid care centre will help a lot in terms of providing the services to the patients besides enhancing the health workers.

Addressing the function as Chief Guest, Dr Santa said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Covid patients occupied half of the Surgery Ward in the main hospital and as a result, it created a lot of problems and inconveniences in delivering healthcare services and to mention along with the absence of a separate COVID-19 dedicated hospital.

However, he said that as a 50-bedded COVID Care Centre and a COVID Care Private Ward have been constructed in the institute separately located quite a distance away from the main hospital, the situation will be far better off now to tackle any situation (in case if any unpredictable pandemic crop up in the near future)

Director Dr A Santa also said that in a short time soon, RIMS will be having a separate power supply within the current month to meet the increasing power demands of the health care institute and has also planned to make certain efforts for sustainable water uses.

Director Dr A Santa said, “as a matter of fact, his dream has become reality as 50-bedded COVID Care and COVID Care Private Ward were launched on Saturday adding that such an initiative would be highly benefited by people of the state”.

He further said that many other projects are in the pipeline for the inauguration and will be handed over to the public very soon.

Around 200 quarters for the staff is also about to be completed, the Director said.

During the program, Director Dr A Santa also mentioned apropos opening a Crèches centre on the campus which will be designed to provide group care to children who need care, guidance and supervision away from their home during the day in order to provide day-care facilities for children of the staff – (especially mothers) of RIMS. Moreover, he also expressed his feelings about opening a gym on the campus of RIMS.

He also mention his desire to open a school inside the campus like the Departmental Stall which has been recently opened/established.

Director Dr Santa Singh further said that during the Covid pandemic, both in the first as well as in the second wave though collective efforts were made to declare either RIMS or JNIMS as COVID-19 hospital, it wasn’t deciphered into action.

However, after taking into consideration all obstacles withstand by health care professionals, RIMS aimed to set up one care unit for COVID-19, the Director said.

Moreover, in spite of all the challenges faced by the institute, some Covid infected patients wanted private wards for their treatment which, unfortunately, they couldn’t provide, he said.

Sanjoo Thangjam is a journalist based in Imphal, Manipur

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