Resident doctors write to Yogi for enhanced security, improved working conditions

The doctors requested that written instructions be issued to all medical colleges, hospital administrations, and the police department to conduct comprehensive safety audits across all hospitals in Uttar Pradesh,

LUCKNOW: Resident doctors in Uttar Pradesh have urged Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure the safety of doctors, particularly women, and to enact a Central Law for the protection of doctors. They also suggested measures to achieve this in a letter addressed to the Chief Minister.

They also brought to the notice of the CM the poor working conditions through the letter. (Sourced)

“We appreciate your ongoing efforts to improve law and order, safety, and healthcare infrastructure in our state. However, we appeal for your immediate and kind intervention in this matter to restore confidence among our colleagues, particularly women doctors, who are increasingly vulnerable to workplace violence,” said the letter written on August 19.

“We demand a prompt, meticulous, and professional investigation of the crime within a specified timeframe, ensuring that justice is served swiftly and transparently,” the letter said.

In calling for the enactment of a Central Law, the doctors urged the incorporation of the 2020 amendments to the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897 into the draft of the “Healthcare Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill 2019,” according to the letter.

The doctors also called for enhanced security protocols at their workplaces. “All hospitals should be designated as safe zones with mandatory security measures similar to those at airports. This would include the installation of CCTVs, deployment of security personnel, and the establishment of robust security protocols to prevent such incidents in the future,” the letter read.

They also brought to the notice of the CM the poor working conditions through the letter. “The tragic incident at R.G. Kar Medical College, where the victim was on a 36-hour duty shift, underscores the need for an overhaul of the working conditions of resident doctors. Defined duty hours, adequate rest periods, safe resting spaces, and proper living conditions must be ensured,” said Dr. Hardeep Jogi, president of the Resident Doctors Association Trust, a body of 4,000 resident doctors in the state.

The doctors requested that written instructions be issued to all medical colleges, hospital administrations, and the police department to conduct comprehensive safety audits across all hospitals in Uttar Pradesh, the letter added.