400 guards to protect doctors
Security at a few of the city’s major civic hospitals was beefed up on Saturday as the civic body deployed 400 security personnel from the Maharashtra State Security Corporation.
Resident doctors had demanded in an increase in the number of security guards posted at hospitals after seven resident doctors across the state were attacked by relatives of patients last month.
Around 4,000 resident doctors went on ‘mass leave’ for five days to protest against attacks.
Additional municipal commissioner Idez Kundan said, “The guards will keep an eye on all the entry points of the hospitals. We have started monitoring CCTV camera footage and out-patient departments have been demarcated.”
She added, “Also alarms and signboards have been set up in various sections of the hospitals and soon, help desks will be acti vated.”
Ninety three guards each were posted at Sion and KEM hospi tals. “We have implemented a strict colour code for both patients and their relatives There will also be random checks to ensure that people without passes are not present within the hospital,” said Dr Suleman Mer chant, dean of the Sion Hospital
While Avinash Supe, dean of KEM Hospital said, “The guards will work in three shifts, and each batch will have around 30 guards.”
While resident doctors wel comed the civic body’s move, they also said that security at all civic hospitals must be increased “What about the security at the Dhule Hospital or Aurangabad civil hospital? They must be made secure too,” said a third year resi dent doctor from KEM Hospital