Nursing as a career option has been booming in Manipur in the last few decades but lack of proper psychiatry institutions has created problems in the posting of trained psychiatric nurses, said head of Psychiatry department, RIMS professor Dr RK Lenin Singh in Imphal on Friday.
He was speaking at the inaugural function of the 2nd Annual Conference of Society of Psychiatric Nurses Manipur (SPNMCON 2023) at RIMS Jubilee Hall, Imphal. The conference has been organised by Society of Psychiatric Nurses Manipur.
Dr Lenin further stated that nurses play a pivotal role in maintaining the image of medical institutions.
“The frequency of nurse-patient interaction is much higher than doctor-patient interaction; therefore, nurses carry out the daunting task of upholding the treatment standard of a facility,” he said.
He maintained that doctors without the support of nurses, technicians and other medical staff would face difficulties in conducting timely medical treatment. He further noted that the role of nurses does not end at providing medical treatment but also entailed caring for the mental well-being of the patient.
He mentioned that nurses in Manipur are making huge strides on the academic front along with treatment. Lenin further stated that several academic theses written by nurses are on par with the academic papers produced by doctors.
He further highlighted that the popularity of medical professionals from Manipur is gaining notoriety for their services. He exhorted nurses and doctors to always put their best foot forward in providing medical service.
Meanwhile, vice chancellor of DMU professor N Rajmuhon emphasized the need for properly trained psychiatric nurses as there has been an uptick in cases of mental illness in Manipur.
He further said that Manipur is one of the highest trained nurses producing states in the country. He claimed that the state is well suited for opening medical training institutes.
Rajmuhon further stressed the need for the conference to go beyond the medical spectrum and also dabble in the larger universe of general studies.
He also exuded confidence that the conference will provide numerous benefits to nurses in Manipur specifically in areas of mental healthcare treatments, balancing professional and personal life and challenges of medical professionals in the state.
RIMS director professor H Priyosakhi devi, additional director/ consultant neurologist Manipur Health Services Dr N Hemantakumar Singh, HOD Nursing LGBRIMH Dr Arunjyoti Baruah and President of Society of Psychiatric Nurses Manipur Kh Ratna Devi among others attended the inaugural function.
The conference was divided into four scientific sessions in which various health experts presented their papers on various issues concerning the medical psychiatry field in Manipur.
