Two out of three doctors feel unsafe in hospitals

Two out of three doctors do not feel safe in hospitals, says a recent survey conducted following a rise in incidents of their being manhandled by patients and their relatives.

The survey covered 2,000 doctors across several states and was routed through the Curofy app that has become popular among medical practitioners as a platform for exchange of cases, discussions and information updation.

42 per cent of the doctors said they have themselves been a victim of violence by patient's attendants. Contrary to the popular notion, monetary issues and doctor's fault fall among the least likely reasons for such violence against doctors.

Emotional outbursts after negative patient outcome ranked among the highest reasons for violence at 66 per cent. Violent and drunk attendants formed a sizable, one-fourth, of such incidents.

The Curofy survey also tried to find possible ways to stop violence against doctors and asked them which one intervention would make them feel safe at the hospital.

"Around 49 per cent doctors surveyed favoured having presence of either rapid action units or police booths within hospital premises, while around 25 per cent said having armed security guards in hospitals should be made a must.

"About 22 per cent suggested installation of CCTV cameras at key points and a few doctors even suggested that they must have access to pepper sprays in case the need be," said Nipun Goyal, Co-founder of Curofy.

It is interesting to note that this survey comes at a time when national data of similar sort has shown that nearly 75 per cent doctors in India have faced some form of violence at work in the last 5 years.

"The results highlight a very sad state of Indian medical system. They certainly reflect the need for doctors to feel secure at work under any circumstances," said Goyal.
When asked, a doctor at AIIMS said, "If the docs are looking after the patients, then who's looking after the doctors."

Another said,    "Strict laws on the lines of one relating to assault on police personnel should be made for tackling violence against doctors. Adequate protection should be provided at every healthcare setup," he added.