Healthcare is acquiring horrifying proportions in Ranchi.
In a shameful rerun of malpractices at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), nurses at the medicine ward of the state-run hospital were caught red-handed reusing hypodermic syringes on Thursday, spurring a showcause tizzy but no practical endeavour to stop a possible nexus of employees and outsiders that smuggles out medical kits meant for underprivileged patients.
Deputy superintendent of RIMS Dr Kumari Basundhara, following a tip-off from a relative of a patient, conducted a surprise inspection of wards around 11amafter her regular round and was "shocked to see" that almost every patient in the medicine department was being administered drugs with used syringes.
"Patients told me that they are regularly injected medicines with same syringes. Nurses refused, but when I asked them to show disposed of syringes in the trash can, they could not," Basundhara said.
Directing matron Vijaya Lakshmi to slap showcause on the in-charge nurses of four wards, where reuse of syringes had been established, she added, "We have syringes in surplus. Not a single nurse in the hospital can say she has been refused new syringes. There is no crisis."
Grilled on the spot, some of the guilty nurses claimed that they always handed over syringes to a patient's relatives for disposal. "This is utter rubbish. If nurses ask the patient party to dispose of needles and syringes, it is in total violation of every law that governs handling of biomedical waste. Every ward has syringe crushers to destroy used kits," Basundhara said.
Vivek Kumar, the relative of a patient from Lower Chutia admitted to RIMS with high fever, acted as the whistle-blower whose complaint on Wednesday prompted Thursday's surprise inspection.
"My brother has been prescribed some injections. Last afternoon, a nurse came and asked me for a syringe. I said syringes are given by the hospital to which she retorted that she was asking for the one used in the morning. I protested and later complained to the deputy superintendent," Vivek told The Telegraph.
One Ravi Kumar from Ratu, whose father is admitted to RIMS, said he too had protested against the practice, but in vain. "Our voices mostly remain unheard. We are poor people," he rued.
Vivek said he had never seen a syringe crusher ever since he had come to RIMS two days ago. "Biomedical waste disposal system is a sham at RIMS. There are a few coloured bins, but sweepers empty all at the same place. There is no sorting done."
Sources at RIMS also said that unused syringes from the hospital were being sold in the market, but Dr Basundhara stressed she was unaware of such a trade.
"I am concerned about what is happening inside RIMS. I will seek a thorough probe into why syringes are being reused. It has to be stopped," she said and promised to look into biomedical waste disposal issue as well.
Incidentally, last July, the deputy superintendent had caught nurses reusing hypodermic needles and syringes in a different ward. She had reported the matter to then acting director Dr S.K. Choudhary who preferred to turn a blind eye to the nuisance.
Dr Shamim Haider, the new interim director of the state hospital, promised action. "Multiple use of needles or syringes is hazardous. This is what we teach students. How can we allow the same to happen at our own institute? I am not aware of the inspection, but will definitely take up the matter with Dr Basundhara tomorrow (Friday)," he said.
Pointed out that this was not the first time nurses at RIMS had been caught reusing syringes, he added, "I will find out what is forcing them to do so."
What other malpractices have you witnessed at RIMS?
Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
