Private security personnel who are not professionally trained ‘how to control public in case of emergency’ but are deployed at Government hospitals through outsourcing for the security of the doctors will be replaced with home guards in Haryana.
Haryana Health department has taken this decision in the wake of increasing incidents of misbehaviour or attack on doctors allegedly by the relatives of deceased patients.
As per state health department’s figure, the state government has set up 2643 sub-health centres, 513 primary health centres, 128 community health centres and 22 district hospitals in the state wherein as many as 2651 doctors have been deputed. However, sources in the department said that there are large numbers of government hospitals in the state wherein no security arrangements for the doctors have been made.
Director General (DG), Haryana Health Services Dr Satish Kumar Aggarwal said, “Security of the doctors is our prime responsibility. As of now private security guards are deputed in government hospitals. CCTV cameras have also been installed in many hospitals and more will be installed.”
Aggarwal said, “There is no data available in the health headquarters wherein doctors have registered complaints of manhandling or misbehavior with them in the hospitals by relatives of deceased patients. But on the direction of State Health Minister Anil Vij, the security arrangements in the civil hospitals will be strengthened".
The Director General, Health said for this, a proposal has been sent to the state government for the approval on replacement of private security guards with home guards. "Private guards will be replaced with home guards after approval from Chief Minister Manohar Lal,” he said.
Vandana Gupta, director, State Health Services said, “Recently a meeting regarding security of doctors was held at Secretariat and some guidelines have been issued to the health department and home guards directorate. The Health department has submitted a proposal to the state government regarding deployment of home guards in civil hospital in the state.”
Incidents of attack on doctors have been reported from time to time in Haryana. Recently a doctor in Karnal was killed by his ex-staff. There is a general animosity towards doctors by the relatives of deceased patients even though medical profession is considered a noble profession. "It is a matter of concerns for all of us that doctors being attacked by relatives of patients," a health officer said, adding there should be uniform security code across government hospitals in Haryana. The government must pass a law to make any attack on doctors a non-bailable offence.
To provide security to doctors, Haryana government has deputed private security guards through outsourcing at government hospitals. However, as per department’s reports on violence against doctors, these private guards seem to have failed to protect the doctors in case of emergency in the hospital campus because these private security personnel are not professionally trained by the agency concerned about how to control public in hospital premises.
A doctor who visited State Health headquarters, Panchkula and has been deputed at a Ambala hospital, on Wednesday said that in general, cases of violence against doctors have become the norm and shouldn’t be allowed to continue. The security arrangements at the hospital premises need to be strengthened so that doctors can feel safe and work freely.
Another doctor said that unprofessional private security personnel not trained controlling public in hospitals, have been deployed through outsourcing. Doctors are checking around 100 patients every day at hospital. In emergency they have to face anger of relatives. The security needs improvement. The safety of female doctors during night hours is also a concern, he said, adding alternate arrangements should be made to strengthen the security of the doctors in hospitals.
