Rims attack raises question on security

RANCHI: Two days after a patient tried to slit the throat of an inmate and two armed assailants were nabbed from its precincts, security measures at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) continued to remain laggard as hospital authorities overruled the slip, saying it was not possible to provide security to each and every patient.
Late on Friday, Subodh Ghosh, a patient from Hazaribagh tried to slit the throat of Paramanand Yadav, with a razor at the orthopedic ward in Rims.
A resident of Ranchi’s Kantatoli area, 37-year-old Yadav was admitted with a broken sheen bone and was being attended by his wife when Ghosh attacked him with a razor.
“It was out of the blue. Before I could make out anything, he was on me,” Yadav said on Sunday, still shaken with the attack.
Ghosh escaped from the window after Yadav screamed for help, but was later nabbed and handed over to Bariatu police.
Though medical tests revealed Ghosh to be mentally unstable, from where he procured the razor and the reason for the attack remained uncertain.
On Thursday evening, two men were caught roaming with revolvers in the Rims compound. The duo was caught by guards on duty and handed over to police.
“No additional security has been deployed following Friday’s incident and vigilance continues normally,” Rims director Dr S K Choudhary said on Sunday. Though he termed it an exceptional case, Choudhary said, “It is not possible to deploy security for each and every one of the 1500-odd patients”.
Though security at Rims is managed by private agency guards, there have been frequent instances where doctors have clashed with disgruntled patients' kin. However, attempt to murder seems to be the first.
Successive breaches has put grave a question mark on the security of patients in the state’s apex medical facility.
While patients are living in fear, worried health officials of the state health department are apprehensive of the private security guards deployed to man the wards and operation theatres.
“Security has certainly become an issue (at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences). We have asked for a report and will act accordingly,” said a top health official.
Security at Rims is managed by private agency guards. There have been frequent instances where doctors clashed with disgruntled patients' kin. However, attempt to murder seems to be the first security issue.