The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday sharply criticized the state government for its failure to provide adequate infrastructure at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, questioning the disparity between government claims and the ground reality.
During the proceedings, the court highlighted the significant gap between the state’s assurances of state-of-the-art facilities at RIMS and the actual conditions within the institute. The division bench, consisting of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay and Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, made an oral observation suggesting that if the government is unable to maintain such a crucial healthcare facility, it might as well close it down.
“From the affidavits filed by the government and its claims made in terms of providing state-of-the-art facilities, it seems as if we are in some foreign country. However, the reality is something different,” the court noted, emphasizing the stark contrast in governmental reports and the inadequate conditions faced by patients.
The court also pointed out that the lack of facilities at RIMS forces patients to seek treatment in private hospitals and nursing homes, many of which operate without the proper licenses required under the Clinical Establishment Act. The court remarked that these private institutions seem to be more focused on “wealth care” rather than healthcare, indicating a predatory approach to medical treatment.
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In response to these concerns, the court has directed the state government to file an up-to-date status report detailing the actions taken against unlicensed medical facilities and to report back on improvements made at RIMS. The court expects to revisit the issue in a fortnight.
