NEW DELHI: The national task force (NTF) set up by Supreme Court comprises surgeon vice-admiral and DG medical services (Navy) Arti Sarin, chairman of Hyderabad-based Asian Institute of Gastroenterology D Nageshwar Reddy, AIIMS Delhi director M Srinivas, NIMHANS Bengaluru director Pratima Murthy, Jodhpur AIIMS executive director Goverdhan Dutt Puri, Ganga Ram Hospital’s Saumitra Rawat, Rohtak-based Pandit B D Sharma Medical University vice-chancellor Anita Saxena, dean of Mumbai-based Grant Medical College Pallavi Saple and chairperson of neurology at Paras health Gurugram Padma Srivastava.
On request of senior advocate Maninder Singh, SC said the task force shall consult Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other stakeholders while framing the action plan.
“NTF shall formulate effective recommendations to remedy the issues of concern pertaining to safety, working conditions and well-being of medical professionals and other cognate matters… NTF shall, while doing so, consider the following aspects to prepare an action plan. The action plan may be categorised under two heads (I) Preventing violence, including gender-based violence against medical professionals; and (II) Providing an enforceable national protocol for dignified and safe working conditions for interns, residents, senior residents, doctors, nurses and all medical professionals,” it said.
SC said the action plan must ensure due security in medical establishments, especially in ICUs and emergency departments where possibility of violence from irate relatives of critical patients is high, crowd management, screening of visitors, CCTV coverage of all entry and exit points and corridors of hospitals and providing transport to and from hospital to hostels between 10 pm and 6 am.
It asked all state and UT govts to collate data on security deployment at hospitals, baggage screening facility, number of duty/resting rooms for medical professionals, installation of CCTV cameras and security at restricted areas of the hospital and submit it to Union health ministry, which would tabulate the data within a month.
On request of senior advocate Maninder Singh, SC said the task force shall consult Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other stakeholders while framing the action plan.
“NTF shall formulate effective recommendations to remedy the issues of concern pertaining to safety, working conditions and well-being of medical professionals and other cognate matters… NTF shall, while doing so, consider the following aspects to prepare an action plan. The action plan may be categorised under two heads (I) Preventing violence, including gender-based violence against medical professionals; and (II) Providing an enforceable national protocol for dignified and safe working conditions for interns, residents, senior residents, doctors, nurses and all medical professionals,” it said.
SC said the action plan must ensure due security in medical establishments, especially in ICUs and emergency departments where possibility of violence from irate relatives of critical patients is high, crowd management, screening of visitors, CCTV coverage of all entry and exit points and corridors of hospitals and providing transport to and from hospital to hostels between 10 pm and 6 am.
It asked all state and UT govts to collate data on security deployment at hospitals, baggage screening facility, number of duty/resting rooms for medical professionals, installation of CCTV cameras and security at restricted areas of the hospital and submit it to Union health ministry, which would tabulate the data within a month.