Lok Sabha Question No. 887 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-11-29
Subject: Safety of Doctors
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Kuldeep Indora

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 887 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29 TH NOVEMBER, 2024

## SAFETY OF DOCTORS

## 887. SHRI KULDEEP INDORA:

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware of the fact that as per a survey of Indian Medical Association, doctors particularly women, feel unsafe during night shifts due to lack of appropriate security protocols across the country; and

(b) if so, the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to ensure safety of doctors while discharging their duties in the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a) & (b): The survey conducted by the Indian Medical Association is an independent initiative carried out by the Association and the Central Government has not participated in the same. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) issued advisory to all Central Government Hospitals/Institutes, All India Institutes of Medical Sciences and Medical Colleges to ensure filing of FIR by the Institutes within six hours of any incident of violence on medical professionals. All the States/UTs had also been advised by MoHFW to take immediate measures ( Annexure ) for enhancing security and providing safer working environment for medical professionals.

Taking cognizance of recent incident of alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor in R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India constituted a National Task Force (NTF) for formulating effective recommendations to remedy the issues of concern pertaining to safety, working conditions and well-being of medical professionals and other cognate matters. The NTF has already submitted its report to the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India.

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 887 for answer on 29.11.2024

## Extracts from recent advisories issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to States/UTs to take immediate measures for enhancing security and providing safer working environment for medical professionals

- i. Display of State laws for healthcare workers' protection and relevant Sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 along with punitive/ penalty details in conspicuous places inside the hospital premises in local language and English.
- ii. Constitution of 'Hospital Security Committee' and 'Violence Prevention Committee' involving senior doctors and administrative officers to strategize and implement appropriate security measures.
- iii. Regulation of access for general public and patient relatives to key areas of the hospital. Strict visitor pass policy for patient attenders/ relatives.
- iv. Provision for safe movement of resident doctors/ nurse within different blocks and hostel buildings and other areas of the hospital during night duties.
- v. Ensuring proper lighting inside all areas of residential block, hostel blocks & other hospital premises.
- vi. 'Routine Security patrolling' in all the hospital premises during night time.
- vii. Setting up of a 24x7 manned security control room in the hospitals.
- viii. Establishing close liasioning with nearest police station.
- ix. Constitution of 'lnternal Committee on Sexual Harassment' in the hospital.
- x. Taking stock situation of all CCTV cameras (number and functionality) inside the hospital premises and for necessary implementation/upgradation of the same.
- xi. Identification of high-risk establishments to identify hospitals with high footfall and consider them as high-priority establishments for security improvements.
- xii. Conducting security audits in consultation with local health, police authorities to assess and improve security measures.
- xiii. Focus on high-risk areas by giving special attention to areas with a higher incidence of security breaches, such as emergency rooms, triage areas and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and Labour Rooms.
- xiv. Ensuring installation and proper functioning of CCTV Cameras, particularly in highrisk areas with regular monitoring of the cameras from a manned central control room.
- xv. Establishment of a protocol for quick sharing of video footage of any untoward incident against healthcare workers with local police to facilitate swift response and investigation.
- xvi. Security personnel to be technically oriented and trained in soft skills. Employing exservicemen (from Directorate General of Resettlement) as security personnel in the identified high-risk areas of the hospitals. Also, exploring of such manpower from the State's own security forces.
- xvii. Constitution of Internal Security Committee in hospitals with active involvement of residents and students; also laying down of clear SOPs for incidence response.
- xviii. Robust background checks for all outsourced personnel and contractual workers employed in the hospitals.
- xix. Proper training and establishment of bereavement protocols for all doctors and healthcare workers to handle intense and emotional grief situations.
- xx. Deployment of patient facilitators/ MTS for all patient related activities inside the hospital, which requires ferrying or shifting of the patients from diagnostics to therapeutics.
- xxi. Trained persons to man help-desks, guide patients to navigate the hospital systems and processes.

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