Kolkata rape horror fallout: TG govt to set up police outposts in all hospitals

Hyderabad: Telangana will be the first state in the country where police outposts will be set up in all teaching hospitals and security will be beefed up by organising night patrolling by She Teams to address the issue of security to the healthcare professionals, especially the women doctors and nurses.

The government also proposes to link the CCTVs in all PHCs and hospitals with the local police stations as part of measures to provide security to healthcare professionals. This was decided following the review meeting Health Minister C Damodar Raja Narsimha had with the officials from the Home Department on Monday.

The Telangana Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act 2008 was also examined and the Health Minister directed the officials to prepare guidelines to ensure night patrolling by the She Teams to provide protection to hospital staff particularly women doctors, women nursing officers and other personnel.

The state government has earmarked special space in the TIMS hospitals. The health minister said that already the government has constructed police outposts in ten teaching hospitals in the State and every hospital should have a security house.

The Health Minister wanted the private security agency to compulsorily have PSAR (Private Security Agency Regulation Act-2015) recognition. He said that the security would be strengthened in all types of health centres right from PHC level to Area Hospitals. The Minister wanted the officials to prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) for security in the hospitals. The Health Minister wanted the hospital managements to have safety committees as per the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court on the safety of women doctors, nursing staff and other healthcare personnel.

The safety committees should be formed at state, district level, said the minister, asking the officials to submit a report by September 14.

The meeting also discussed registering cases related to doctors and nurses as per Act No. 11 of 2008. The minister wanted details of the cases registered so far. He also wanted establishment of fast-track courts in the 10 erstwhile districts and ensuring the cases are speeded up.