Sans eggs, milk, RIMS patients say no hospital food

Adilabad: Patients in the 1,000-bed Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), which is visited by many tribals, mostly poor, are throwing away the food items being supplied to them by the government contractors on the premises, contending that it is of poor quality.

They alleged that the food is simply unpalatable, while accusing the contractor of denying them eggs and milk while usurping the stocks. Ironically, a contractor himself has admitted that he had also not been finding the foodstuff tasty and low in nutritious value.

Around 500 people mostly approach RIMS for undergoing various surgeries, deliveries and getting treated under the Arogyasri scheme. The health department provides them nutritious food and breakfast daily for early recovery.

The patients alleged that the rice is of low quality (‘doddu biyyam’) and not eatable. As such they are discarding it.

As stipulated, each patient has to be given one egg, twice a day, and a banana daily, besides two curries and one dal. These items are being denied to them, Narayana, a relative of a patient, told The Hans India, here on Sunday.

“As the patients are unable to eat the food items supplied by the department (contractor) in the institute, they are forced to purchase them from outside. Even the dal is dry, half-cooked and watery.

No curries are being provided to the patients, putting them to severe hardships”. He alleged that egg, which is listed in the daily menu item chart, was being given only once in three days.

Husn Bee, one of the patients said that when they questioned the hospital staff as to why it was being denied, they told them that as the chicken was dead, they could not secure eggs. As such, the Institute’s in-mates were forced to eat what was being supplied by the contractor.

Even no proper breakfast, items of which are to be changed every alternate day, is arranged to patients. Except ‘upma’ no other item was eing being served; even this was of poor quality, mostly half-cooked.

Some patients complained to THI that the breakfast items provided to them are unfit for consumption even by animals. They allege that ‘by arranging such food the staff is making us fall further sick.

Even the daily 200 ml milk supplied to the each patient, along with bread, contains more water. “It is not even 100 mm”, lamented some patients. They accused the contractor of denying them milk.

Instead of a loaf of bread, six slices are being given to each patient every evening. They accused the RIMS authorities of adopting a negligent attitude when the contractor failed to provide nutritious food to the patients.

However, the contractor is collecting huge diet bill from the department, they alleged. He is being paid Rs.100 each for food a day, if he follows the stipulated guidelines.

The payment of hefty bill of Rs.20 lakh is being criticised by the public, amid allegations that the RIMS staff is getting a commission from the contractor.

This was why the officials were turning a blind eye to the poor quality food items being supplied to patients. Relatives of the patients want the administration to take action against those responsible for the supply of poor quality food in RIMS.

A patient, Santosh, said that the food being provided by the Satya Sai Seva Samiti for Rs.5 was better than that arranged by the contractor. However, speaking to The Hans India here on Sunday, RIMS Director Ashok said that the food items were being supplied to the patients, according to the menu chart.