Chief minister Raghubar Das on Sunday met doctors of the premier state-run hospital RIMS to hear them out amid reports of unrest over his recent remarks that government physicians would be under the anti-corruption scanner whether they were into private practice or not.

In damage control mode, Das told RIMS doctors at the trauma centre hall that they should focus on research to make the institution a centre of advanced research and healthcare on the lines of AIIMS. He also promised enough funds in the next budget for medical research at RIMS.

Apart from RIMS doctors and director Dr D.K. Singh, others present at the meeting included state health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi, health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni, BJP Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth, BJP MLA Jitu Charan Ram and Ranchi SSP Anish Gupta.

Das invited suggestions from doctors and asked them to list their problems for a roadmap to a better RIMS.

Doctors said they were unfairly targeted for prescribing branded medicines instead of generic ones. They said branded medicines were of a better quality than generic ones and worked faster. They also demanded drug testing and catheterisation labs at RIMS.

Many doctors said their promotions were pending. “A number of teachers (doctors who teach at RIMS medical college) joined as tutors and they are set to retire as tutors. Their promotions were not cleared by the government,” a doctor said.

To be on a par with AIIMS, RIMS doctors must get salaries under the Seventh Pay Commission, another doctor pointed out.

The CM interacts with doctors. Picture by Manob Chowdhary

Many doctors pointed out infrastructure and manpower gaps across RIMS departments, especially anatomy, which poses a high risk of infection. “There isn’t enough manpower to remove bodies,” one said. Lack of infrastructure at neurology and orthopaedics, RIMS doctors said, held up treatment in critical cases needing surgeries.

Doctors of forensic department bemoaned that because they perform post-mortems, most of their time was taken up in attending courts to record their statements. They said a team of doctors from the district (not RIMS) should be made part of the post-mortem process and discharge these time-taking court duties.

RIMS dental department exists only in name, as it has neither been inaugurated nor any equipment purchased, the doctors informed the chief minister.

Doctors also demanded the government provide residential facilities to them on RIMS campus so that they can attend to emergencies, to which the CM is learnt to have said yes.

The CM said he would soon hold a review meeting to sort out issues that the doctors raised. “You are doctors and you have to deal with patients patiently. Also, (government) doctors should avoid private practice,” Das said.

New buildings

Chief minister Raghubar Das on Sunday made a series of inaugurations and laid foundation stones of buildings on the premises of RIMS.

He inaugurated a four-storey, 100-bed trauma centre on RIMS campus to be functional within the next two months, built at a cost of Rs 64 crore. He also inaugurated an administrative building worth Rs 23.82 crore and girls’ hostel worth Rs 89.70 lakh.

CM along with Union minister of state for power, and new and renewable energy R.K. Singh laid foundation stone of a rest house to be built at a cost of Rs 15 crore from funds allocated by the Power Grid Corporation of India.