The Health department has been instructed to put in place various safety and security measures, including additional surveillance cameras and security guards, strict implementation of attender and visitor passes system in all government hospitals and medical college hospitals and ensure single entry and exit mechanism to ensure access control.
The Chief Secretary chaired a meeting on February 3 to discuss the recommendations of the National Task Force constituted by the Supreme Court on safe working conditions for medical professionals. A letter dated February 14 on the minutes of the meeting said that the Hospital Security Committee and Violence Prevention Committee were formed by the directorates in all their respective institutions. Security audit was completed in all institutions.
Institutions under the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services (DMS) required an additional 759 security guards to ensure safety and security of their institutions. It was instructed to explore the feasibility through outsourcing mode by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC). Around 653 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in institutions under Directorate of Medical Education (DME) and Research and 3,041 CCTVs in DMS institutions were additionally required along with video management services and central security control room. For this, the Chief Secretary issued instructions to ensure installation through the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) funds wherever feasible and to also explore the procurement through MLA Constituency Development Scheme.
The CS also instructed officials to ensure that the Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) were established and made fully functional. The DMS, as the regulatory authority for private hospitals, should issue instructions to all private hospitals in the State to constitute the ICCs.
PHCs left out
However, a government doctors association has flagged that there was no mention about reinforcing security systems in Primary Health Centres (PHCs), particularly 462 30-bed upgraded PHCs, and additional PHCs, including those located in hills and remote areas.
P. Saminathan, president of Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association, said that in upgraded PHCs, doctors and staff nurses stay round-the-clock, while in additional PHCs, doctors were available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and nurses round-the-clock.
“There are no posts of security guards in these PHCs that come under the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. There is no policy of outsourcing security personnel similar to what is followed in DME and DMS institutions,” he said.
The association raised the need for proper implementation of Tamil Nadu Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2008 and fast tracking of cases already filed under the Act. Reviewing the progress of cases should be made mandatory in district crime meetings.
“Shortage of health manpower is an important precipitating factor leading to an increase in unrest in government hospitals. Improving human resource availability based on patient footfall as per Indian Public Health Standards is important. There is a need to abolish 24 hours duty for doctors as it leads to exhaustion and increases patient-doctor conflict,” he said. The Hindu