E-Paper
Violence against health workers unacceptable: Punjab health minister
Punjab health minister Balbir Singh reviewed security arrangements at the government healthcare facilities.
The health and family welfare minister, Dr Balbir Singh, on Tuesday said that any kind of violence against healthcare professionals would not be tolerated at any cost and stringent action would be initiated against culprits.
Taking a strong note of the rising cases of violence against medical professionals, the minister reviewed security arrangements at the government healthcare facilities while chairing a meeting with deputy commissioners, CPs/SSPs and civil surgeons of all districts via videoconferencing.
To ensure workplace security, Dr Balbir Singh sought speedy constitution of DC-headed district health boards, having SSPs, civil surgeons, principal medical superintendents of medical colleges, district PCMS presidents, IMA district presidents, representatives, paramedical staff, NGOs and legal experts. The boards should meet monthly to review security arrangements, he added.
Calling for the strict implementation of ‘Punjab Protection of Medicare Service persons and Medicare service institutions (Prevention of Violence and damage to Property) Act, 2008’, he asked the officials to prominently install display boards at all the healthcare facilities — in both English and Punjabi language — displaying provisions, penalties and punishment under this Act and also contact numbers of police stations.
The minister also stressed the need to attach the health institutions with heavy footfall with the nearest police posts/stations.
He directed the civil surgeons to ensure appropriate security arrangements, including deployment of homeguards, installation of CCTV cameras and proper lighting, at all the healthcare facilities. To streamline patient entry, only one attendant should be allowed to enter the in-patient departments area, he suggested.
He also directed them to constitute five-member internal committee on sexual harassment, headed by facility incharge and comprising three female members.
The aforesaid directions were issued by the health department a few days ago.
Dr Balbir Singh also appealed to healthcare staff to exercise empathy and courtesy towards patients and their attendants.
Amid spurt in dengue cases, the minister instructed civil surgeons to conduct door-to-door surveys in hotspot areas. He urged people to not let water stagnation at or around their houses to prevent breeding of dengue mosquitoes.
The meeting was attended by health secretary Kumar Rahul, health secretary-cum-NHM MD Dr Abhinav Trikha, PHSC MD Varinder Kumar Sharma and Health and Family Welfare director Dr Hitinder Kaur.
