Security audit committee to make certain recommendations to govt
Kolkata: As a part of the state government’s initiative to carry out security audit in various state-run medical colleges to ensure proper safety for the medical professionals and health workers, the security audit committee that was formed following the instruction of the Chief Minister may make certain recommendations to the Health department on the basis of its observations.
The special committee for security audit at hospitals was constituted with former DGP Surajit Kar Purakayastha at its head and it consists of six other members — a joint secretary from the Health and Home departments each, two senior officers from Bengal Police, one from Kolkata Police and a senior PWD engineer. The security audit committee has already carried out an audit at several medical colleges in the state, including the SSKM and Calcutta National Medical College in the city. The committee led by Purakayastha has examined the security aspects in several medical colleges. It also held meetings with several stakeholders while visiting the medical colleges and listened to their suggestions as well. The committee wanted to ask the medical college authorities and also from the doctors what were the areas where it required a security enhancement.
Sources said that doctors from various medical colleges attended meetings with the audit committee and conveyed their points to them. The doctors from several medical colleges raised a number of issues, including the resolution of CCTV cameras, absence of adequate police personnel, dissatisfaction over the grievance redress cell, installation of alarm system or panic buttons and the standard operating procedure (SoP) in case of any ruckus on the campus. The committee has taken a note of the doctors’ recommendations. It has carried out a thorough examination to find out the crucial locations which should be covered under CCTVs. The committee also examined the existing infrastructure in the medical colleges. Some of the junior doctors in the city’s hospitals have demanded more cops and CCTV cameras on the campus. According to sources, the security audit committee was also examining if the boundary walls of the medical colleges are secure enough.
The committee based on its observations may soon submit some recommendations to the state government. After the RG Kar incident, the agitating junior doctors took up several demands with the state government. The security enhancement in all the medical colleges was one of their demands.
