Over 200 students of the College of Nursing of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), from other cities but stranded here during the lockdown, want to go home but the RIMS management wants them to be here.

A leader of students’ union outfit NSUI Roshan Kumar on Thursday said nursing students, who are from elsewhere in Jharkhand as well as from Jammu & Kashmir, Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, just want to be with their families during the pandemic.

“Students wrote to the deputy commissioner for permission to leave. When he was reluctant, I helped them contact Khijri MLA Rajesh Kacchap, who wrote to state chief secretary of state Sukhdev Singh. From the office of the chief secretary the matter was referred to health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni and RIMS director Dr D.K. Singh for action,” Kumar said.

In their letter, the nursing students have expressed fears regarding Covid-19, saying RIMS nurses, who are serving novel coronavirus patients, are quarantined beside their hostel premises, making it a high-risk area.

RIMS director Dr D.K. Singh said a final decision was yet to be taken in the matter.

“I have sought an opinion from the principal of the nursing college, because I do not see any logic behind allowing these students to go outside RIMS campus now. Firstly because of precaution against the infection, and secondly, their potential to serve people at the time of crisis. If they are allowed to leave RIMS, which is a hot spot of the red zone, there is a chance of their spreading the virus in the localities they go, and there is every possibility of them remaining them in quarantine in their hometowns. If they stay on the campus their services can be taken at the time of crisis as we have already assessed their potential to treat accident victims a few months ago in Khunti,” Dr Singh said.

Student leader Kumar rubbished the logic of the RIMS director. “These are nursing students and not qualified enough to handle Covid-19 patients. Plus, there are 300 nurses at RIMS for patients.”

Director Dr Singh said the students were trained enough to make beds, distribute tablets and help nurses in transfusions, among others.” “Something is better than nothing during crisis,” Dr Singh added.

Principal of the nursing college Prabha Dey agreed with Dr Singh. “This situation is a learning opportunity for nursing students, who have chosen to serve people as their career. Also, allowing them out won’t be safe now. As far as the fear of nurses deputed on Covid-19 duty goes, it is baseless. None of them are quarantined inside the hostel or its campus,” Dey said. “But we will mull all pros and cons.”