All states and Union Territories (UTs) have been instructed by the Union Health Ministry to provide thorough reports on their initiatives to improve security in healthcare facilities. This decision is the result of a virtual conference that Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra hosted on August 28 to discuss important security issues with directors general of police (DGPs) and chief secretaries from around the nation.
The meeting’s main focus was on hospitals with large patient numbers, which are regarded as high-risk facilities. The talks focused on how important it is to carry out comprehensive security audits in tandem with the local police and health departments. Important locations that require special attention included labor rooms, intensive care units (ICUs), and emergency rooms—all of which have a higher risk of security breaches.
The Ministry has made several important recommendations, one of which is the installation and upkeep of CCTV cameras in high-risk areas, with the video being watched over in real time from a central control room. In order to enable prompt reactions, the states were also asked to enhance the quick sharing of incident video footage with local police. Furthermore, it was recommended that hospitals create internal security committees including resident physicians and students and hire former service members as security guards in high-risk areas.
The regulation also emphasizes how crucial it is to have well-defined standard operating procedures (SOPs) for managing accidents, to thoroughly screen contractors and outsourced labor, and to ensure that healthcare personnel receive the necessary training. This entails putting in place grieving protocols to support medical professionals in handling highly charged emotional circumstances and assigning patient facilitators or Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) to aid with patient-related tasks like hospital transportation.
The Health Ministry stressed that states needed to move quickly in response to the Supreme Court’s judgment on August 22, which demanded that immediate steps be taken to address doctors’ safety concerns in the wake of recent violent occurrences. Following widespread protests by resident physicians, which were prompted by the reported rape and killing of a trainee physician at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the Court issued its directive.
Apurva Chandra, the union secretary of health, stated that several states have already started putting the recommended policies into practice and have even proposed new ones. September 10, 2024, is the deadline that States and UTs have been given to report on the short- and immediate-term steps that they have done in accordance to the directive. The goal of this effort for increased security is to guarantee the safety of healthcare workers across the country and address persistent worries about violence in medical settings.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
