[ Bengia Ajum ]
NAHARLAGUN, 10 Mar: The Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) here has been facing the problem of religious leaders interfering with the treatment of the patients.
The hospital’s staffers have made several complaints regarding religious leaders conducting prayers and other religious rituals inside the wards where patients are admitted. This, they said, not only disturbs the functioning of the hospital but also causes disturbances to other patients.
“Sometimes some religious leaders misguide the patients by telling them that they need rituals and prayers, not hospital treatment. Often we have to literally fight with them when they try to misguide the patients. The situation is getting crazier day by day,” said a staffer of the TRIHMS.
The situation is so bad that the TRIHMS authorities were left with no choice but to issue a strongly-worded circular, banning religious activities inside the hospital premises.
Chief Medical Superintendent Dr Dukhum Raina informed this daily that he has received several complaints from the hospital staffers regarding overzealous behaviour of religious leaders, due to which the authorities had to issue a formal order.
“As it has been reported to the undersigned that patients admitted in the TRIHMS for treatment of various types of ailments are disturbed by relatives of admitted patients in the wards, generally by conducting religious mass prayers for patients, which is unprecedented, causing lots of nuisance and noise for the other patients admitted in the wards,” the order read.
It added: “As of now, it is hereby totally banned with immediate effect to conduct such religious mass prayers by any type of religious backgrounds in the hospital wards, corridors and premises in the interest of public service.”
Dr Raina appealed to the people to stop bringing religious leaders inside the hospital premises.
“Inside the hospital, people have to trust our treatment procedures. We have nothing against religious beliefs of the individuals, but in the hospital premises religious practices cannot be allowed to create nuisance. We hope people will positively respond to the notice banning religious activities,” he added.
