Jharkhand SC pulls up Ranchi hospital for serving food on the floor to a patient

The court was spurred into action after a local newspaper published a photograph of a woman with fractured right hand being served food on the floor by the staff of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, where she was admitted.

A bench of the Jharkhand court headed by Chief Justice Birendra Singh issued notices to the state government as well as RIMS director, asking them to file a reply by Sep 28.

“The act is not only inhuman but also a criminal offence,” the court reportedly observed.

The development followed after a poor woman, identified as Palmati Devi, with her right hand plastered following fracture injuries, was served food on the floor by the hospital staff as she didn’t have any plate.

The patient had no option but to eat teh food placed on the ground. The patient was admitted to the Ortho ward of RIMS, Ranchi, a premier government hospital in Jharkhand.

An internal investigation by the health department later found the patient was being served food on the floor for nearly a month, the local media has reported.

Strangely, the hospital administration is learnt to be spending around Rs 3 billion annually on plan and non-plan head.

Mineral-rich Jharkhand state is currently ruled by BJP chief minister Raghubar Das.

That is in sharp contrast to Bihar which, at least, has showed manner and courtesy while treating people in distress.

Recently, when floods affected many districts of the state including Patna, the state government asked the officials to serve food to the floods victims in steel plates.

These utensils were finally gifted to the victims when they left for home after the floodwater receded.

Image: Dainik Bhaskar

(thebiharpost.com/IBNS)