Security personnel to be attached to doctors at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences

Hubballi: In the recent years, there has been a rise in the incidence of assaults on doctors and healthcare professionals by kin of patients. This has particularly been the case in government hospitals, where many doctors have had to face the wrath of bereaved relatives turning violent. Taking cognisance of this disturbing recent trend, the state government has, in a first-of-its-kind initiative, decided to assign armed security personnel to resident doctors at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS). The personnel will provide security to the medical professionals round-the-clock, thereby preventing them from being set upon by patients’ kin.

The government’s decision is likely to have been prompted by a recent incident at KIMS, which compelled three neurosurgeons to resign in the wake of relatives descending to protest on the hospital premises following a fatality. This was the latest in a distressingly long line of incidents where doctors have been soft targets, and perforce turned the spotlight on lack of adequate security for medical staff.

At KIMS, junior resident doctors assigned to work at Ward 10 have been involved in many such instances wherein they had to deal with anguished fury of relatives. They have been accused of providing inadequate treatment to patients, among other things.

However, doctors at KIMS pointed out that they worked as diligently with every patient admitted to the hospital. “There is no question of negligence. The problem is that many patients are brought to the hospital when they are in a critical stage. These patients come to KIMs after visiting other centres, which refer critical cases to us. Here, there is not a single incident of a patient having been denied admission,” said a doctor, expressing regret over relatives of patients not sparing a thought for those engaged in the profession.

KIMS director Dr Ramalingappa expressed growing concerns within the community about such cases, which he pointed out were also being reported in private institutions. “Each doctor tries his or her best to save the patient. But emotionally charged relatives vandalise hospital property, and sometimes get physical with doctors and other staff. The government has taken note of such instances and this is why the principal secretary for health and family welfare department Jawaid Akthar has decided to assign security personnel to doctors. This was decided at a meeting in Bengaluru,” said Dr Ramalingappa, adding that it was primarily a preventive measure, one that should not be understood as readiness to brandish weapons. “It is primarily to discourage emotionally charged people from taking the law into their hands,” the KIMS director said.

He said that five people would be hired in the first phase of the initiative. “They will be hired through a tender process, and will be deployed at the emergency ward, the maternity centre and other units where patients critically ill are treated. We have already hired security for our superspecialty centre,” Dr Ramalingappa added.