After a meeting with protesting doctors in Kolkata, the West Bengal government on Thursday issued a set of guidelines regarding the safety and security of the state’s health workers.
Guidelines have been issued with a focus on safety, security and efficiency of the health care system.
According to the guidelines, adequate availability of work rooms, washrooms, CCTVs, drinking water facilities in various health facilities should be ensured immediately.
All medical colleges and hospitals and other health institutions must be advised to ensure the implementation of these measures in consultation with all stakeholders, officials said.
The Mamata Banerjee government has appointed Surajit Kar Purkayastha, Chairman of Satyendranath Tagore Civil Services Study Center (SNTCSCSC) and former DGP, West Bengal to audit the security of all Medical Colleges and Hospitals.
All committees, including the internal complaints committee, should be made fully operational by the department. It should also be ensured that adequate number of policemen/security personnel and policewomen and guards are deployed in all health care facilities in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It should also be ensured that mobile teams are deployed by local police authorities for surveillance, especially at night, as per the instructions.
Additionally, a central Helpline has also been introduced, a call button alarm system and access control systems will be available in all healthcare facilities as soon as possible.
The real-time bed availability information system employed by the government should also be implemented in all government institutions, according to the government directive. Also, bed availability information should be displayed digitally for the benefit of the public in all health facilities at a prominent location.
A centralized referral system will also be implemented, and immediate steps will be taken to fill the vacant posts of doctors, nurses, GDAS specialists etc., the government said.
Individuals and health professionals may still experience problems with the proper application of the guidelines and may therefore need to lodge complaints, if necessary.
To that end, a robust grievance redressal system will be established to address complaints and grievances of all stakeholders, patients and caregivers promptly.
The government has said that all the orders will be implemented immediately and the progress regarding the implementation of the directives should be referred to the State Level Task Force.
The guidelines were issued after junior doctors issued a series of demands from West Bengal government headed by Mamata Banerjee.
The demands, sent to Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, aimed at improving the working conditions and safety of healthcare workers, are wide-ranging and cover both administrative changes and infrastructure needs.
Junior doctors in Bengal and across the country staged protests against the rape and murder of a female doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.
During the protests, aggrieved doctors highlighted the absence of essential facilities, such as toilets, necessary safety measures and grievance redressal systems, among others, in hospitals.