NEW DELHI: City medicos may have returned to duty having withdrawn their strike, but the agitation for safer workplaces and Central legislation to safegaurd health professionals is far from over. The action committee for Central Protection Act, comprising resident doctors from seven city hospitals including AIIMS and Safdarjung, has written to the Delhi government highlighting safety concerns of health workers and measures to strengthen the security of medical facilities.
The panel alleged that hospitals under the city government are facing acute shortage of security guards and demanded ample deployment of ex-servicemen as security staff.
“At present, hospitals functioning under the Delhi government are facing grave shortage of security personnel and their numbers need to be increased immediately. Security of hospitals should be strengthened by including at least 30-50% ex-servicemen and trained guards in the security staff,” the committee demanded.
The panel, represented by seven RDAs (resident doctors associations), also demanded sufficient number of high-resolution CCTV cameras installed at strategic points including entrances, exits, corridors, dark spots and sensitive areas in hospital premises; Delhi government should facilitate the installation of cameras by providing sufficient funds to hospitals.
Additionally, the panel demanded separate duty rooms with attached lavatory for male and female health professionals at workplaces besides a central control room to monitor and respond to urgent situations. “A control room should be setup in the institutions for quick response to an emergent situation. The control room should be equipped with public address system to quickly disseminate information during emergencies,” it added.
The letter from the resident doctors’ panel also specified the role of the hospital administration during situations of crisis. “If any medical director or medical superintendent does not lodge a police complaint within six hours of receiving complaints from the doctors, they must provide justification for their inaction to the Director General Health Services of the Delhi government,” the letter asserted.