Pray, bear the stench

 A.S.R.P. MUKESH

The prayer hall at RIMS in Ranchi lies deserted on Monday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, May 30: Call it a funeral of faith.

Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), the touted premier hospital in the capital, boasts an 1,800sqft, marble-floored prayer hall, albeit repulsively close to the mortuary on its premises.

Two years ago, former director of the state-run hospital N.N. Agarwal had loosened purse strings to build the hall for friends and family members of patients, but had apparently failed to notice the terrible bloomer in the blueprint. Result: the Rs 1 lakh structure lies abandoned today, a solitary witness only to the putrid stench of death and decay.

“Normally, a prayer hall is located close to the intensive care unit or operating theatres so that family members of critical patients can find some solace in praying for the well-being of their near ones. But here, the hall is a stone’s throw from the morgue. No one goes there to pray and it has just become the siesta shelter of dogs,” said a senior doctor and forensic faculty member at RIMS.

According to norms, even a temporary shelter for people waiting to collect bodies must be built at a minimum distance of 300 metres from a mortuary. At RIMS, the prayer hall is within 15 metres of the post-mortem cell.

“Log zindagi ki dua karte hain. Maut ke baad, prarthna kar ke kya faida? (People pray for life. What is the point of praying after someone’s death?),” Dinesh, a mortuary attendant, said. “So, people do not come here to pray. They wait only to collect bodies after autopsy,” he added.

Sources maintained that nearly Rs 1 lakh was spent on the marble flooring and seating area, but the hall had rarely been used since it came up two years ago. “I never spotted a single person praying under this shed,” another hospital staff said.

Madan Sahu, whose wife is admitted to the hospital with high fever, said he did not feel like venturing anywhere near the prayer hall. “It is close to where they keep dead people. You get negative vibes. How can you pray at a place like that?” he said.

RIMS director Tulsi Mahto admitted that the prayer hall’s proximity to the mortuary was indeed a cause of concern. “But then, it wasn’t built during my tenure. The erstwhile management had thought of setting up a prayer hall on humanitarian grounds. Besides, the purpose of the hall is also to give shelter to those who want to meditate after the death of their loved ones,” he contended.