Shadow of uncertainty looms over the future of JNH doctors, nurses
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, October 31 2011: With possibility of casting them away imminent, a shadow of uncertainty has cast over the future of doctors, nurses and other staffs, who have been serving in JN Hospital after its upgradation to a medical institute under the name of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) .

According to a reliable source, there are presently over 150 senior doctors and 220 nurses in JN Hospital, who have contributed their mite towards development of the hospital since the very beginning and it is to their credit that the hospital has attained the status of a medical institute today.

So, in the event of showing them the doors, the position of JNIMS may be shaky.

Although the Government of India gave its approval of setting up of a state medical college in Manipur around 10/20 years back, it did not materialized for a long time, mainly due to the absence of a fully equipped hospital, which is a pre-requisite for making a medical college/institute functional.

After all, hospital is where the medical students are expected to get necessary clinical training, the source pointed out.

After long years of planning and preparation, the ruling SPF government finally succeeded in upgrading JN Hospital to the status of a medical institute.

It has been two years now the medical institute started functioning full-fledged and after three years, it would produce its first batch of doctors, the source said, while reiterating that it is to the credit of the senior doctors and other staffs in JN Hospital that JNIMS is ready to reap the benefits.

Unfortunately, a distinct sign of discrimination between the staffs of JN Hospital and JNIMS has surfaced, demoralizing staffs of the hospital, the source maintained.

Citing an example of discrimination against staffs of JN Hospital, the source pointed out that staffs of the hospital are not given their monthly salary regularly which is not the case with staffs of JNIMS.

Moreover, necessary deduction from the monthly salary of the staff of hospital have also been not indicted in their respective accounts, thus creating difficulties in case they want to claim their GPF, the source disclosed, adding that the matter has been brought to the notice of the authorities concerned on numerous occasion, but so far there no remedial action has been taken.

The source further disclosed that the government of Manipur recently issued an order appointing an AO of Health Directorate as the DDO for the GPF and Pension drawees.

But the order has not yet been translated into action.

On account of all these problems, some staffs of JN Hospital have already left the hospital and went on transfer and there are many more who would willingly accept transfer from the hospital.

Taking serious note over the possible impact of such mass transfer on the administration of the hospital, option has been placed before the staff of joining JNIMS or remaining in the hospital.

However, the position of the hospital staffs who have joined JNIMS is not yet cleared, he source added.

Amid all these uncertainties, the move being made for removing all the staffs of JN Hospital which is under the administration of Directorate of Health, government of Manipur and replacing the resultant vacancies by JNIMS staff is unfortunate.

It is like the proverbial killing of cat before purchasing Buffalo, the source observed.

It may be noted here that when Regional Medical College (RMC) was upgraded to Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), the employees of the college have been given only one option of joining RIMS, thus resolving every possible discrepancies.

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