Tamil Nadu's Public Health Department asks district officials to enhance security in medical institutions

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 13 (ANI): Tamil Nadu's Public Health Department on Wednesday enumerated a series to steps to enhance security in district hospitals following the shocking incident of a doctor having been "stabbed" by son of a cancer patient in a Chennai hospital.
Instructions were issued to the district officials to ensure enhancing security and providing a safer working environment for doctors and health care workers in the Government Medical Institutions and other Health facilities.
Instructions have been issued for immediate measures and for prompt action.
The Public Health Department called for regulating access of the general public and relatives of the patients, ensuring the functioning of CCTV cameras and adequate lighting and ensuring regular patrolling by police officials at Primary Health Centres.
Hospitals have been told to develop a visitor pass policy with the notification "duly insisting the time restriction for visitors which should be displayed."
The notification said punitive measures of the 'Tamil Nadu Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Loss to Property) Act, 2008' shall we displayed on the premises of Primary Health Centres and other institutions in both Tamil and English, specifically highlighting that the offences are the Act are "non-bailable".
The Public Health Department also called for formation of a 'Hospital Security Committee' and a 'Violence Prevention Committee' at Primary Health Centres, "to strategize and implement appropriate security measures"
"The 'Hospital Security Committee' may be headed by the Block Medical Officers/Incharge Medical Officers concerned. Further, the 'Violence Prevention Committee' may be headed by the senior doctors, it said.
The instructions encouraged healthcare workers to install the 'Kaaval Uthavi' app, which can be used to trigger and send emergency alerts.
The letter also had instructions in terms of having a night watchman and certain infrastructural changes including constructing compound walls, trimming the bushes for better visibility, and keeping the grill gates inside the Primary Health centres to be kept closed for workers safety. (ANI)