Nephrology department launched at Rims

Ranchi: State health, medical education and family welfare minister Banna Gupta on Tuesday inaugurated the nephrology department at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims). The department’s OPD services had become functional last week and is catering to at least five patients each day and the inflow is expected to rise post lockdown.
Speaking to the media, Gupta said, “The new unit will provide dialysis services very soon. This will help the state’s poor patients who have to go to other states to get themselves treated. Patients in this unit will be treated for free under the Ayushman Bharat, Mukhyamantri Swasth Bima Yojana and Mukhyamantri Gambhir Bimari Yojana health insurance schemes.”
The nephrology unit will also have a 12-bedded indoor patient department (IPD). For now, the IPD service will operate out of the Urology department of Rims. After the IPD services begin, the hospital will become the first state-run medical facility in Jharkhand to have a fully-operational nephrology unit.
The new unit, Dr Pragya Pant said, can treat patients with kidney failures, urine infections, recurrent kidney problems and can conduct kidney biopsies once completely operational.
Later, Gupta held a review meeting of the hospital’s Covid-19 management and stressed that treatment of other ailments must be resumed. “Pregnant women and patients with serious ailments must not be left out,” Gupta was quoted as saying.
Others present at the inauguration included Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth and Kanke MLA Samri Lal.