Following a slew of attacks on doctors, the Maharashtra government has decided to install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all State-run hospitals.
A total of 1,360 cameras will be installed in hospitals at a cost of ₹4.5 crore so that full protection can be provided to doctors facing possible attacks by angry relatives and patients. The State has identified 498 spots in major government hospitals where the cameras will be positioned in a strategic manner to capture any attack or assault on doctors, officials said.
According to the Indian Medical Association, nearly 72% of Indian doctors have suffered some kind of physical or verbal abuse in their career. Doctors blame the situation on lack of strict implementation of the law and proper security cover in sensitive areas of hospitals like the Intensive Care Unit, casualty, operation theatres etc. Besides CCTV cameras, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors has also demanded alarm systems, trained security personnel who respond more firmly in a situation of assault on doctors, a pass system to limit the entry of relatives and better crowd management.
The installation work will start in three months once the Cabinet approves it. The State Health Department has already given its approval. “We will install the cameras in areas where there is maximum movement of relatives, such as the OPD and general wards and lobby. Most of the attacks have taken place in these corners of the hospital and therefore it makes sense to cover them with the help of cameras,” said a senior government official.
As per the Medical Health Department proposal, in the first phase, the cameras will cover 38 hospitals in urban and rural areas with a capacity of more than 200 beds. In the next phase, 30 more hospitals of 200-bed capacity, and 40 between 200 and 400-bed capacity will be covered officials said.