The Cheluvamba Hospital, a hospital for women and children attached to Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMCRI) here, has found a “remedy” to deal with complaints of baby lifting and child swapping, though it claims to have taken adequate preventive measures.
It has proposed to install observation cameras in outpatient and in-patient wards, key departments, and access and exit points shortly.
MMCRI Director Krishnamurthy told The Hindu that tenders had been invited from competent agencies for installing the cameras, numbering 25, at the hospital. Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras have become essential to deal with hospital security and complaints like baby lifting and swapping, he added.
“Visitors were not allowed to the hospital between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., but they manage to gain access despite the presence of security staff. We wanted to keep a tab on patient and nursing care, and so on. Moreover, there was a suggestion from the City Police for installing cameras that can be useful in case of ruckus created by patients’ families and relatives,” he said.
Dr. Krishnamurthy said the hospital required evidence when its property was damaged by patients’ attendants. “At such occasions, the footage from cameras would serve as evidence.”
Furthermore, there were also complaints that security staff allow visitors during non-visiting hours. All these issues can be handled through constant monitoring of footage retrieved from the cameras, he said.
Dr. Krishnamurthy said live feeds from the cameras would be made available inside the medical superintendent’s chamber. “I can access the footages through internet following a provision done for K.R. Hospital, another hospital of the MMCRI,” he said.
He said the cameras installed at the K.R. Hospital were helpful. There was a case at the hospital recently when the patients’ family accused the hospital of denying treatment. This was disproved as we had footage with doctors treating the patient, he said.
Two digital screens had been put up outside labour wards where details such as in-patient number, date of delivery, time of delivery, sex of the child, parents’ name, their address, and the picture of the baby will be displayed immediately after the delivery. This measure had been taken to overcome complaints of exchange of newborn babies. Tamper-proof bands are tied to the babies’ wrists for identification.
The Cheluvamba Hospital witnessed a “record” number of deliveries last year, as about 15,000 babies were born.
