Odisha formulates policy for safety of doctors

Bhubaneswar: Following the Kolkata rape-murder incident, the Odisha government on Wednesday formulated a policy to ensure a safe workplace environment for doctors, students and all medical personnel in healthcare facilities and health education institutions.

According to a notification issued by the State Health and Family Welfare department, any incident of violence against medical students should be promptly investigated by the college management and an FIR should be lodged with the police within six hours by the head of the institution.

The SP of the district concerned has to take immediate and appropriate action as per law against the miscreants, it said.

The detailed action taken report of such an incident of violence should invariably be sent to National Medical Commission (NMC) within 48 hours of the incident.

The healthcare institutions have been asked to deploy security guards in all OPDs and outside wards 24/7. As far as possible, both male and female security guards must be posted.

The healthcare institutions will provide ID cards and dress codes to all employees, wherever applicable.

Visitors pass system would be made mandatory for indoor patients. Only two entry passes are to be issued per patient, for attending the patient during official visiting hours and the attendants entering the ward should be frisked by the internal security guards to check for possession of any dangerous or objectionable items, the notification said.

The government asked the head of the institutions to install CCTV cameras at strategic locations in the hospitals for monitoring the activities in the hospital.

The CCTVs should be installed outside all hostels’ main gates, roads, roundabouts, stairwells, other strategic points on campus and on each floor of the hostels, it said.

Besides, a control room will be set up in each institution for security personnel to keep 24/7 watch on CCTV footage, which must have at least three months of backup.

The policy also said that a police outpost may be established within the premises of all government medical colleges and hospitals, with posting of at least one female police staff on duty at all times.

Signage highlighting the penal provisions under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Odisha Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage of Properly) Act, 2008 will be placed in front of the health institutions.

The healthcare institutions have been further asked to take steps to offer support services, including counselling, women’s self-defence training programmes and peer support groups to address workplace stress or trauma