Hospitals Feel The Pinch As Meat Disappears From Patients’ Plates

RANCHI/DHANBAD/JAMSHEDPUR: The recent crackdown on unlicenced meat shops have now started to affect hospitals. While many hospitals have decided to change the diet they provide to patients, there are others who are sourcing it from black markets and paying higher prices for it or simply dropping chicken from their menu.
The Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) on Monday served vegetarian meals to its patients after the hospital ran out of its daily supply of dressed chicken.The hospital’s chicken suppliers wrote to the dietician’s office on Monday, saying they cannot supply dressed chicken following the government’s ban on unlicensed chicken shops.
Rims dietician Dr Meenakshi said, “Chicken is a source of protein for patients. If we do not have the supply of dressed chicken, we will have to serve them paneer.” Rims requires at least 100 kg of chicken on Mondays and Fridays.
Rims director Dr BL Sherwal said the hospital is planning to permanently end its custom of serving non-vegetarian meals to the patients. “The decision to switch to vegetarian diet was taken in the general body meeting. We will be implementing it shortly,” the director added.
The government’s crackdown on unlicensed meat shops and abattoirs has forced few hospitals to buy chicken from black market at higher rates to serve its indoor patients.
Ranchi civil surgeon Dr SS Harijan, on the other hand, said the hospital is switching over to paneer and other high protein vegetarian food for their patients.
Meanwhile, the medical fraternity in Steel City are yet to find themselves in the meaty row since meat is rarely found on the dietary menu of leading healthcare centres.
Government-run Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College and Hospital (MGMCH), which has a 540-bed capacity, does not supply mutton to their indoor patients and therefore, claimed that the state wide ban on unlicensed slaughter houses would have little or no impact on their menu.
MGMCH superintendent Ashok Kumar Singh, said, “As far as non-vegetarian food is concerned, we provide chicken, fish and egg to patients here, therefore, the crisis of non-availability of mutton in the market will not affect the hospital.” Likewise, authorities at Tata Main Hospital (TMH), the leading private hospital of Kolhan division, said mutton is rarely supplied to patients there. “We provide chicken, egg and items like paneer more to the patients in comparison to mutton. The consumption of mutton is very less in our hospital,” Ranjan Chaudhary, general manager, medical services, TMH, said.
Similarly, officials at Kantilal Gandhi Memorial Medica Hospital (KGMMH) informed, “We provide only vegetarian food to patients. We are not going to be affected by the ban.”