NRS: Panic buttons for doctors, nurses & other health workers

Kolkata: In an attempt to check incidents of assualt on doctors, nursing staff and other health workers, NRS Medical College and Hospital authorities have decided to introduce panic buttons at various wards of the hospital.

The decision was taken in a recently convened meeting by senior hospital officials following the incident of violence that took place at the emergency ward of the hospital on 26 August. In the meeting, hospital authorities have discussed various issues including security of interns and junior doctors.

A scuffle broke out between junior doctors and relatives of a patient who died of negligence at NRS on Sunday.

The victim, Pervej Hossain, a resident Topsia was admitted to the hospital following a chest pain.

Hospital authorities are trying to install panic buttons as early as possible at various wards, particularly those which are vulnerable to mob violence.

A senior official of NRS on Tuesday said some new steps are being taken to ensure security of doctors, nurses and other health workers at the hospital. Introducing panic button is one of the measures.

"The doctors or the nursing staff working at different wards can press the panic button whenever they apprehend trouble. Panic buttons will be installed at important places including the emergency ward. Once the alarm is triggered from any of the hospital wards, police officers from the hospital outpost will rush to the spot," a senior official of the hospital said.

It has been a long standing demand of the doctors to put in place adequate secuirty mechanism at the hospital so that such incidents of assault get checked.

The hospital authorities will also urge the city police to deploy an officer-in-charge at the hospital outpost round the clock. It was learnt that hospital authorities have assured doctors of adequate security arrangements.

Some other measures would also be taken to check untoward incidents, hospital authorities said.

A senior official of the state Health department said this model can be replicated at other state-run hospitals as such incidents occur across the state.

Often, doctors and nurses are heckled by the family members of the patients. The medical colleges in the city are no exception. Though police outposts have been set up at medical colleges in Kolkata, incidents of violence remain unchecked.