Unsafe in a hospital?

Safety and security of pati­e­n­ts in the Capital’s prem­ier government hospitals is in question again. Earlier this month a four-year-old boy was stolen from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML) while a ward boy att­e­m­­pted to rape a pregnant patient, in Safdarjung Hospital.

While AIIMS, Safdarjung, RML and LNJP provide the best and cheapest medical facilities in India and therefore attract an unmanageable number of patients, their security cannot be ignored. Wh­at are the challe­n­ges these hos­pitals face when it comes to safety? Metrolife speaks to a  few doctors to find out.

Dr BD Athani, MS, Safdarjung Hospital informs, “Protection of patients has always been a concern for us. Recently, we privatised our security apparatus to make it more efficient. A large number of male security personnel aside, many women se­c­urity guards have also been hired. Plus, resident doctors and nurses are always on guard if and when patients need them.

“Besides, CCTVs have also been installed to keep a check. But the problem persists because outstation patients and their relatives visit us everyday, and make temporary shelters in the premises, so ke­e­­ping a tab in those areas even through CCTVs is impossible.”

Dr Kumar Harsh from the Resident Doctors Association of Safdarjung adds, “Relatives of patients losing their visiting passes is also a problem. Tickets are issued to relatives for a few days but they often lose it posing a big security hazard. Anyone can pick up those pas­s­es and gain entry into pati­e­n­ts’ rooms. So, inspite of all the measures, we cannot guarantee foolproof security.”

However, Dr AK Jhingan, president, Diabetes Education and Research Foundation, says, “A hospital’s responsibility does not end with hiring of guards and CCTV installation. These days, hospitals outsou­r­ce gua­rds, ward boys and other assistants on contract basis. Often, antecedents are not ve­r­­ified; photo ids not provided and they can easily get aw­ay after committing an offen­ce.

“Besides, there are international codes of conduct for do­c­­tors, nurses and ward boys. Male doctors and assistants can­not attend to a female pati­e­nt without a female nurse or attendant being present. It is a criminal offence.”

Ideally, hospitals can also consider telemetry transmitter devices on patients to track their movements so that they do not wander into desolate areas of the hospital.

“Patients come into a hospi­t­­al burdened with the worry of their health. Their only conce­rn after coming here should be recovery and not security. It is the responsibility of the management to implement protocol to ensure complete protection. Only then can the general public keep faith in these reputed institutions,” concludes Dr Jhingan.