The Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA) has written to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the increasing incidents of violence against healthcare workers across the State.
The association urged the Chief Minister to take immediate steps to ensure workplace safety and to boost the morale of healthcare workers who had been working round-the-clock despite pandemic fatigue.
In the letter, the KGMOA has listed a set of suggestions which they think can help in improving workplace safety. One suggestion is that all government healthcare institutions be recognised as special security zones under Section 83 of the Kerala Police Act 2011 and establish aid posts in all hospitals having casualty/emergency services.
Security cameras should be established and adequate security staff be posted in all institutions. Posts of security staff must be created in major hospitals, with trained personnel engaged for the job.
All cases of hospital attacks be charged under the Kerala Health Service Persons and Healthcare Services Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act 2012 and prompt action be taken against the culprits. Mandatory provisions such as defining time frame for filing charge sheet and ensuring speedy trial must be incorporated in the said Act
The KGMOA said the police should include all relevant provisions in the FIR. The FIR should be ready within 24 hours of the incident.
The emergency departments of major institutions should be equipped with triage facilities to identify seriously ill patients and take them up immediately for expert care. A triage area with a trained triage officer and an isolated well equipped intensive care area should be provided.
The KGMOA said heavy rush, unmanageable patient load and poor staff pattern of doctors and para medical staff in many public healthcare institutions were the main reasons for the increasing skirmishes between healthcare staff and the public. They demanded that a commission be set up to study the existing staff pattern.
They demanded that the culprits in hospital attack cases should not be allowed to file fake counter cases against doctors to escape the law. They demanded that any work-related complaints against a doctor be brought before an expert panel before filing an FIR, as being done in cases of medical negligence as per Supreme Court guidelines.
