Armed guards for JJ, Sion, KEM hospitals

Three hospitals in Mumbai will get guards to protect them round-the-clock.

Highly placed sources in the state home department told HT the armed guards will be posted at the state-run JJ Hospital and the civic-run KEM and Sion hospitals.

They will be drawn from the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC), a government-affiliated body that works under the Maharashtra police.

MSSC guards have the powers to carry weapons and make arrests.

They are headed by a senior IPS officer of the rank of an additional director general of police (ADGP).

Around 1,100 guards will be required to cover the 16 government and civic hospitals across Maharashtra.

The deployment of these guards will be done in phases, sources said.

The three hospitals in Mumbai are among nine across the state selected for the first phase

A senior MSSC official told HT the corporation has 700 personnel ready to be posted at hospitals, and another 400 are being training at police schools.

“They will be deployed soon after their training programme by next month,” the official said.

“Hospitals with medical colleges will be given priority,” he said.

The officer, however, refused to specify how many guards each Mumbai hospital will be given.

“The numbers will be decided as per the requirements and demands of each of the hospitals.”

He also made it clear the security of hospitals remains a police concern.

“We will only augment the arrangements.”

The government’s action comes after a series of attacks on doctors by patients’ relatives triggered the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) to call statewide protests.

Medical services have been hit over the past week and patients are seen waiting for