Doctors, medical staffs and other people hold placards as they stage a nationwide strike for 24 hours under the Indian Medical Association (IMA) demanding justice for the alleged sexual assault and murder of a female postgraduate trainee doctor of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, in Kolkata.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Union Health Ministry has suggested employing ex-servicemen as security personnel in hospital areas which have been identified as high-risk, as one of the measures to enhance safety and security for doctors and healthcare workers. Manpower can also be engaged from State security forces, it said.
Following a recent consultation on hospital safety, the Health Ministry wrote to the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories, detailing eleven measures that need to be implemented in line with a Supreme Court direction. Stakeholders have been directed to submit an action taken report by September 10.
Doctors across the country have demanded steps to ensure a safe workplace, after the rape and murder of an on-duty postgraduate physician in Kolkata last month.
Local police integration
Each district must identify hospitals with a high footfall and consider them as high-priority establishments for security improvements, the Ministry said in its letter to States.
Healthcare establishments have been directed to immediately initiate integration with local police and set up protocols to quickly share video footage of any untoward incidents against health care workers, so that local police can facilitate a swift response and investigation. The Ministry also mandated robust background checks for all outsourced personnel and contractual workers employed in hospitals.
Bereavement protocols
Given that patient deaths can lead to high emotions and tensions among grieving family members, all doctors and healthcare workers must be given proper training to handle such situations and bereavement protocols must be established, the Ministry said.
Other suggestions include security audits in consultation with local health and police authorities to assess and improve security measures; focusing on high-risk areas such as emergency rooms, triage areas, intensive care units, and labour rooms, where there is a higher incidence of security breaches; installation and proper functioning of CCTV cameras, particularly in high-risk areas, and the regular monitoring of these cameras from a manned-central control room.
“Healthcare establishments should have an internal security committee with active involvement of residents and students and have clear protocol for incidence response. Deployment of patient facilitators, volunteers/social workers/coordinators, is also recommended,’’ the Ministry said, adding that some States have initiated additional measures over and above those suggested by the Centre.
Published – September 04, 2024 08:19 pm IST