The Hindu : New Delhi News : Health Minister to review security of hospitals

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Friday, May 02, 2008
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Health Minister to review security of hospitals

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

In the wake of rising cases of violence against medical staff

Many doctors and nurses have been physically & verbally abused at the hands of patients’ relatives
People also often damage hospital property and there is no accountability for it

NEW DELHI: Concerned over the rising number of cases of violence against medical staff -- especially doctors and staff nurses -- in the Capital’s hospitals by relatives of patients under treatment there, Delhi Health and Family Welfare Minister Yoganand Shastri has called a meeting this Friday of senior health officials to assess the problems and come up with a solution.

The urgency of the meeting according to a senior health official was felt because of the sustained pressure that the medical staff was finding itself in due to the problem. “We have received several complaints from doctors and nurses who have been subjected to physical and verbal abuse at the hands of relatives of patients who are under treatment at government hospitals. People also often damage hospital property and there is no accountability for it. We have to have a mechanism to regulate the crowd and ensure that our medical staff is offered a healthy and safe environment to work in,” said a senior health official.

The meeting on Friday will look at the several incidents reported from various State-owned hospitals and examine the suggestions and demands of doctors.

“Our department had engaged private security to ensure that the medical staff is not exposed to any violence while at work, but we seem to be facing problems now. We will review the existing recruitment schemes for guards and see where we can improve. Some hospitals had also asked for deputing police personnel to ensure that no untoward incident happened,” said Dr. Shastri.

Speaking about the problems that doctors face, Resident Doctors’ Association of Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital president Mriganka Sharma said: “Our hospital has engaged private security, but the quality of service provided is not up to the mark. The guards are old and physical not fit to carry out the duty which further puts us at risk. We are also unable to control the crowd that comes along with each patient.”

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