50 marshals for docs’ safety at Lok Nayak Hospital

NEW DELHI: Lok Nayak hospital has deployed 50 marshals at the hospital to prevent attack on its doctors by patient’s attendants. The marshals will be positioned outside the main emergency and gynaecology unit where maximum such incidences have taken place in recent past.

Dr J C Passey, medical director of Lok Nayak hospital, said the decision has been taken with the approval of the lieutenant governor’s office.

“We had met the chief secretary with the demands of the resident doctors last month, following attack on two resident doctors who suffered multiple fractures after an attack by a patient’s attendants. He agreed to the need for more security personnel and gave the approval,” Dr Passey said.

The hospital also hired 50 home guards recently to prevent attacks. These hirings are in addition to the existing security guards that man all key entry and exit points at the hospital. “An average guard cannot fight or even instill fear among the unruly attendants. The marshals will,” said a hospital doctor.

In the past three months, Lok Nayak has witnessed two strikes. Lok Nayak is one of the biggest hospitals run by Delhi government. It sees a footfall of nearly 5,000 patients in OPD daily.

In February, more than 200 elective surgeries had to be cancelled when the resident doctors stayed away from work to protest assault on one colleague.

The tall and heavily built marshals are required to keep doctors safe from attendants who misbehave or force themselves inside without permission.

Other hospitals also witness similar incidents. Sources said Ram Manohar Lohia and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya hospitals already have marshals deployed at the emergency which witness maximum violence.
A survey involving junior and senior resident doctors from Lok Nayak and G B Pant —hospitals attached to the Maulana Azad Medical College — revealed 41% of them faced violence at work.

The survey showed death of patients and ‘delay’ in treatment were the most common reasons for violence. Some of the relatives, doctors complained, became violent on being told about ‘lack of medicines’. A perception their patient was getting ‘inadequate attention’ was another trigger for violence.