Private hospitals must have own plans for security of doctors: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday told the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) that private hospitals are like business enterprises which must make their own arrangements to provide security to doctors and healthcare workers from abuse and assault at the hands of irate relatives of patients.
A bench of Justices S K Kaul and A S Oka told senior advocate Vijay Hansaria that DMA was citing examples from the Covid period when short supply of oxygen led to chaos and possibly resulted in adverse impact on patients. "Those are exceptional circumstances. But can the court step into an area where it cannot monitor," the bench asked.
When advocate Sneha Kalita said doctors feel insecure as many such incidents happened in various states, the bench said that it is not a threat perceived from a terror organisation that the court would direct security cover to all doctors and health workers. There is adequate security in the government hospitals, the bench said.
"We are not willing to direct the governments to make security arrangements in private hospitals, which are business enterprises. We are not inclined to entertain the PIL as it lacks particulars of incidents. The private hospitals have to make their own security arrangements," the bench said.