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Respected Vice Chancellor of Manipur University, and
Chief Guest of this function, Dr. H. NandakumarSarma;
respected Director, RIMS, Imphal and President of
today’s function, Prof. S. Sekharjit Singh; respected
Prinicpal of College of Nursing, AIIMS, New Delhi,
Dr.ManjuVatsa; respected Principal of Regional College
of Nursing, Guwahati, Dr.MridulaKhanikor; respected
Nursing Superintendent of RIMS Hospital, Mrs.Chinglembi
Devi; respected invitees, learned faculty members,
officials, staff and students of RIMS; Faculty members,
teachers, staff and students of College of Nursing;
medial personnels, ladies and gentlemen . . . .
I extend my warmest welcome, to all of you, to this
joyous occasion of first evercelebrations of the
foundation day, of the College of Nursing.As I have been
entrusted, with this interim responsibility of looking
after, the College of Nursing by the higher authoritiesI
have the privilege to be amidst another fraternity of
health care delivery system. I stand here admist the
luminaris of medical education of RIMS as well as some
eminentpersons of nursing education to present the
milestones of this nursing college and highlight its
achievements. It would be proper to introduce RIMS, the
parent institute that established the College of Nursing
under its umbrella.
Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal is an
autonomous institute established in 1972. It was
transferred to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
from the DoNER Ministry on the 1st of April
2007 and is fully funded by the Central Health Ministry.
RIMS, however is maintaining its autonomy with regard to
its seat distribution, in various courses conducted by
it. It is managed by the Society of RIMS. It has a two
tier system of management – the Executive Council and
the Board of Governors. The Secretary to the Government
of India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare is the
Chairman of the Executive Council and the Hon’ble Union
Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India
is the Chairman of the Board of Governors.
The preperations for opening of B.Sc. Nursing course was
started way back in 1998, in anticipation of early
clearance of the Phase II development Project of RIMS.
The combined Board of Studies of Medical Sciences of
Manipur University, in its 8th meeting held
in August 1998 proposed the Regulations and Syllabus of
B.Sc. Nursing course which was subsequently approved by
the Academic Council of Manipur University in its 39th
meeting held in May 1999. No further steps could be
taken up by the RIMS authority in the subsequent 7 to 8
years, due to inadvertent delay in clearing the Phase II
Project. However, the pre-requisites namely
“Essentiality Certificate” and “No Objection
Certificate” were obtained from the Government of
Manipur in Feb 2007 and the Manipur University in March
2007 respectively.
The 35th Executive Council meeting, held in
Aug 2007, took a decision of starting B.Sc. Nursing
course in RIMS, from the 2009 session and the institute
proposed, creation of teaching and non-teaching posts,
required for a college of nursing, to the Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, in Nov
2007.
The site for development of infrastructure, has been
ear-marked, within the 300 odd acres wide campus of
RIMS. Since new constructions, would take its own time,
RIMS authority decided to start B.Sc. Nursing course,
with 50 annual admissions from 2009 sesionin the vacant
GNM school premises inside the RIMS campus.
Sri AmbumaniRamadoss, the then Union Minister of Health
& Family Welfare, Government of India, laid the
foundation stone of the College of Nursing in May 2008.
Application for opening of Nursing College in RIMS was
submitted to the I.N.C. in January 2009 and the
inspectors visited RIMS in June 2009. I.N.C. issued its
Letter of Approval in July 2009 for 50 annual
admissions, subject to the approval of the State Nursing
Council and the University. As the Manipur University
had already issued NOC, the State Nursing Council was
approached. The State Nursing Council conducted two
inspections and gave its approval in Dec 2009.
The classes for the 1styr B.Sc. Nursing
course were started on 3rd Dec 2009. A total
of 38 students were admitted for the first batch. The
intake of the College of Nursing comprises of 16
students from Manipur, 5 students from each of the other
beneficiary states namely Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, and 4 students,
from among the children of RIMS employees.
The college however, ran into various obstacles, and a
new Nursing College Development Committee had to be
constituted, to find the necessary solutions, and save,
the precious time and career of the students, coming
from all over the north-east states. The committee’s
efforts to convince the University authorities, of the
dire need of affiliation, and the institute’s firm
commitment, to fulfil all the mandatory requirements,
and more, paid off.
The Manipur University officials, conducted an
inspection, in April 2011, and granted temporary
affiliation, with conditions to appoint, the requisite
number of qualified teachers at the earliest. In the
meantime, interview for the appointment of Lecturers and
Tutors, was held in Sept this year and now the college
has well qualified experienced teachers in different
specialties – 5 Lecturers and 10 Tutors appointed by
following the institute recruitment rules and the INC
norms. The university has salvaged the college, and the
institute has kept its promise.
The college library is well equipped, with different
nursing and, related books. The college also subscribes
to international and national journals on nursing. The
main library has, adequate books and journals, for
reference. The Nursing teachers, and students, have free
access, to these resources.
The college also has well equipped “Fundamentals of
Nursing” Lab, “Nutrition” Lab, “Maternal & Child Health”
Lab, “Computer” Lab and Audio-Visual Aids room, etc as
per I.N.C. norms.
The college has, thus, come out of its initial teething
problems, and is running smoothly, with the help of
qualified, and experienced faculties, and the supporting
staff. The college is getting, the whole hearted
support, and guidance, from the administration of
R.I.M.S. Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, being a
Central Institute, there will be no dearth fund for any
of its projects, including the College of Nursing. With
the firm commitment of RIMS, towards, developing the
nursing college; there are plans, already, of expanding
the courses and programmes, conducted by, the College of
Nursing.
While, the immediate plan, of the college is to
consolidate, the existing infrastructure and facilities,
and appointment of, the higher administrative and
teaching posts, the long term vision is, that of opening
M.Sc. course and various other specialty nursing courses
to produce, nursing personnel of high calibre, to meet
the demands of the modern health care services, and
nursing education.
Today, the institute must acknowledge, and put on record
-the vision and efforts, of the former administrators of
this institute, who conceived the idea, and laid the
initial foundations;
-the nursing staff of RIMS, who gladly accepted the
teaching assignment, and took on, the daunting task of
running, a newly established Nursing College;
-the commitment, co-operation and untiring efforts, of
all the members of, the Nursing College Development
Committee, and, the wholehearted support of the
Director, to make, the College of Nursing, a reality.
Ladies and gentlemen, the dignitaries on the dais
include, the key persons, who can make the college, one
of the best, not only in the region, but also in the
entire nation. The college seeks unstinted guidance and
support, from the experienced Prinicpals, of the best
nursing colleges in the country – Dr.ManjuVatsa and
Dr.MridulaKhanikor. It is also our firm belief and
conviction that, the respected Vice Chancellor Dr. H.
NandakumarSarma, will continue, to be as understanding
and sympathetic as he has been, of our situation, and
render, his much needed help, in making the college
improve, and expand.
At the end, I must congratulate,all the students of this
college, who have endured the initial hardships, of a
new college, and in particular those, who managed to
perform outstandingly, and are being awarded prizes
today.
Long Live College of Nursing, RIMS
Thank you all for your patient hearing.
Prof. N. Damayanti,
Principal i/c,
College of Nursing, RIMS, Imphal
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