Night patrol, access control: Centre suggests steps for medics’ safety

New Delhi: Security audit of district hospitals, night patrolling, regulated access at large health facilities were among the measures the Centre on Wednesday asked states to implement to prevent violence against medics.

The directions came days after the Supreme Court, while hearing the rape-murder case of a junior doctor in Kolkata, ordered the Union health secretary to ensure states have basic measures in place to assuage doctors’ concern over safety at workplaces till the court-appointed National Task Force (NTF) formulates a protocol.

The NTF, under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary, held its first meeting on Tuesday.

In a virtual meeting on Wednesday, co-chaired by secretaries of the Union home and health ministries and attended by chief secretaries and director generals of police (DGPs), the central government officials said state laws are already in place in 26 states and Union Territories (UTs) for safeguarding healthcare professionals.

Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan urged others to also enact such a law, according to a statement. In a letter on August 23 to Chief Secretaries and DGPs, Chandra said taking suo motu cognisance of the Kolkata incident, the Supreme Court delivered orders on August 20 and 22.

In its August 22 order, the court inter-alia directed that the Health Secretary to engage with Chief Secretaries and DGPs to ensure that states and UTs put into place “certain basic minimum requirements pending the receipt of the report of the NTF to assuage the concerns of the doctors over their safety at their workplaces”, he said.