Protests against militants extortion demands

Imphal, Apr 26: If the auto rickshaw was the target last week, so were medical professionals of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal, Manipur. Employees of the hospital suspended operations at the Out Patient Department (OPD) for two days in protest against extortion demands of militant groups.

Doctors and employees came together to save the institution from the militant groups.

"We are facing threats from some underground elements. To protest against this, we organised sit-in protest," said W. Gyaneshwor Singh, Director-in-Charge and Department of Bio-Chemistry.

For them, it is not a question of saving the institute that has been designated as the AIIMS of the North East, the employees are worried that if this law and order problem continues to be a problem the hospital might be shifted to some other place.

H. Tampha Devi, a staff nurse and Secretary of the Trained Nurses Association of India, said, "When such demands come, our peace of mind is disturbed. We do not want to yield to their demands, as we also do not have sufficient money even for our own family."

"As a staff nurse, our duty is to take care of the patients and help them. Therefore, they should not disturb our work here as their involvement may disturb our mind, and due to this, there are chances of prescribing wrong medication by mistake. Thus, we nurses and doctors do not want such disturbances from them," said Ch. Subadini Devi, the President of the association.

Inaobi, a relative of a patient, said that Manipur would become a state of sufferers if such threats continue to prevail.

ANI