Imphal, March 23: Although limiting the number of patients admitted to the Obstretrics and Gynaecology Department of RIMS Hospital on the basis of the beds available has eased congestion and helped the doctors and the nurses in looking after the needs of the patients more efficiently, the new arrangement, which came in the wake of the recent controversy over the death of a woman patient in the maternity ward of the Hospital due to alleged negligence of the doctors, has left many patients in the lurch.

The new arrangement of limiting the intake of patients in all the wards of the hospital came into effect following an agreement signed between the junior doctors and the RIMS authority.

A notification to this effect was issued on February 26 last.

When this reporter visited the Obstretrics and Gynaecology Department of the hospital, it was witnessed that there were no patients lying on the floor of the corridors of Post-Natal, Septic, Gynae and Ante-Natal wards of the Department unlike in the past.

In this connection, an official manning the PostNatal ward of the Department informed that there are in all 43 beds in the said ward.

Since the number of patients admitted to the ward is in accordance to the available beds, the doctors can take care of the patients more efficiently.

However, the existing 43 beds are not enough.

Significantly before the new arrangement came into effect, on an average 70 patients were admitted to the ward daily.

Moreover, if a patient has to undergo operation, it is essential for her to stay for atleast five days in the ward while in case of normal delivery, then the patient need to put up in the hospital for two days.

So there is the problem of accommodating all the women patients admitted for delivery cases since the number of beds are limited here, the official disclosed.

Another official of the Ante-Natal ward informed that there are in all 31 beds including 8 beds reserved for observation cases in the said ward.

The ward is also facing the problem of lack of adequate beds and it is sad that all the women patients coming for delivery cases could not be admitted, the official said, while explaining that it is risky not to give room to women patients who are in advance stages of pregnancy just because there are limited number of beds.

Earlier, the number of patients admitted to the ward was double the number of the available beds, that was why many patients were seen lying on the floor, the official said.

The situation is no different at Septic ward which has 37 beds including 8 cabin beds as well as in Gynae ward having just 40 beds.

Though the problem of overcrowding in the said hospital has been solved to some extent after limiting the number of patients admitted, the new arrangement has not gone down well with the patients who could not be admitted for treatment at the hospital and afford to shell out exorbitant fee charged by the private hospital sand clinics.

A woman patient who was denied admission as there were no more empty bed complained by saying that giving birth is a serious matter for any woman.

When the time comes, it cannot wait just because there is no bed available in the hospital, she added.

She also drew the attention of the Government and other authorities concerned in this regard.

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