Doctors, nurses, staff and students of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Manipur’s capital Imphal on Monday staged a protest demanding “justice” after a senior consultant of the facility was assaulted during an agitation over the death of a woman patient.
As a mark of protest, the Teachers’ and Medical Officers’ Association (TAMOA) of RIMS suspended all services in the state’s largest hospital.
Emergency, outpatient and routine operations remained shut as protesters demanded the arrest of those involved in the assault and assurance of a safe working environment, officials said.
The unrest followed the death of a woman patient, Chingshubam Ongbi Manju (35) of Lilong Chajing, on Sunday, following complications from a surgical delivery.The death triggered a protest on the hospital premises, leading to the assault of a professor and vandalism of property by angry relatives and locals from the woman’s neighbourhood. Meanwhile, the BJP’s Manipur unit expressed serious concern over the woman’s death, vandalism, and assault on the doctor at RIMS. The saffron party said they suspected procedural lapses and mismanagement and called for a special team from the Union Health Ministry to conduct a comprehensive review of RIMS’ administration and functioning.
The BJP also stressed that urgent intervention is necessary to restore order, accountability, and public confidence in the premier medical institute
