JJ Hospital docs ready to tackle attacks

Authorities at JJ Hospital in Byculla have taken steps to prevent attacks on doctors, reports Neha Bhayana.

Authorities at JJ Hospital in Byculla have taken steps to prevent attacks on doctors.

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For starters, the casualty department, where all emergency cases are brought, is being re-organised to ensure that all doctors are sitting within a few metres of each other.

“We are moving the casualty and resident medical officers to cabins within the emergency ward. If a mob attacks one doctor, others should be able to get to the spot immediately to tackle the situation,” said newly appointed dean Dr T.P. Lahane.

Till now, the casualty medical officer sat in a cabin at one end of a long corridor whereas the resident medical officer in another cabin and resident doctors at their table near the patients’ beds in the emergency ward.

He added that focusing on the casualty area was important, as attacks are usually the result of an emotional outburst after a death. The position of the closed circuit television camera in the casualty has also been changed so that it captures every person entering the area.

Usually, doctors from these specialisations would be ‘on-call’ but not be physically present in the ward. An electronic gate is being installed inside the compound near the main entrance so that every vehicle has to slow down and security guards can note down the registration number.

Resident doctors and hospital staff approached the dean and asked him to expedite the process after the attack last week.

Mobs had manhandled doctors and vandalised hospital property on February 24 and January 8 after the death of two patients.