Dr Supriya Laifangbam has been appointed regular Director of JNIMS, Imphal, for three years as the institute faces concerns over equipment, medicines, staffing and infrastructure needs.
Imphal, Oct. 8: The Manipur government has appointed Dr Supriya Laifangbam, Professor of Microbiology and Dean (Academics) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), as the regular Director of the institute for a three-year term.
The appointment was made through an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Personnel Division) on October 7, 2026, following the recommendation of the Selection Committee at its meeting on October 5.
According to the government order, Dr Laifangbam has been appointed as Director, JNIMS, Imphal, on a regular basis with immediate effect. She will serve for three years, subject to review during the tenure in accordance with the relevant rules.
The appointment comes after JNIMS had been functioning without a regular director for around five months, with a bureaucratic officer serving as director-in-charge. The officer was also holding responsibilities in two other government departments.
The absence of a regular director had been a concern among senior faculty members, who said it had affected the administration of the medical college and hospital. Faculty members had also raised concerns over shortages of medical equipment, medicines, laboratory reagents and other essential facilities at the institution.
JNIMS is the state’s largest medical college and a major public healthcare institution, providing specialised and super-specialised medical services while also training medical professionals.
Faculty members had particularly pointed to shortages of modern equipment despite the availability of specialised doctors. They said several intensive care units lacked adequate ventilators and that ultrasound and arterial blood gas machines were also in short supply.
Shortages of medicines, laboratory reagents and consumables had reportedly resulted in patients having to purchase some essential items themselves.
Infrastructure and maintenance issues were also raised, including waterlogging on the campus during the monsoon. Faculty members had additionally expressed concerns over security arrangements, salary payments and employee welfare measures.
On September 14, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand inaugurated a gym, autoclave, pharmacy outlet and health portal at JNIMS and laid the foundation stone for a College of Nursing. Faculty members, however, maintained that these initiatives did not address the institution’s broader infrastructure and equipment requirements.
They had also questioned whether selective road renovation within the campus could be considered comprehensive development of the institute.
The faculty members had further raised concerns over an FIR relating to allegations that money was collected from nurses recruited on a contractual basis during the COVID-19 pandemic on the promise of regularisation. They said the status of the FIR and action against those allegedly involved remained unclear.
With Dr Laifangbam’s appointment, JNIMS will now have a regular director with a defined three-year tenure. The government order states that the appointment will be subject to review during the tenure as per applicable rules.
