NHRC issues notice to health ministry, Delhi govt over shooting at hospital

The NHRC on Thursday said it has issued notices to the Union health ministry, the Delhi government and the city's police commissioner in connection with the incident of a patient being shot dead inside a hospital here.

Issuing the notices, the National Human Rights Commission observed that apart from the medical treatment of the patients, their safety is also a crucial aspect to be looked into by the administration of the government hospitals.

In a statement, the rights panel said it has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that a patient was shot dead by assailants inside a ward of the GTB Hospital at Dilshad Garden, Delhi on July 14".

According to the media report, carried on July 15, anyone can enter the hospital wards without any restrictions. The security guards do not pay any attention towards the safety and security of patients, the statement said.

"Those coming inside the hospital to meet patients are never checked by the security staff. There is no provision of equipment like metal detectors, bag scanners in the government hospitals in Delhi," it said, quoting the report.

The Commission observed that the content of the media report, if true, raises serious issues of lack of safety and security in the government hospitals in Delhi.

"Apparently, there is an immediate need for government hospitals to strengthen safety and security arrangements," it said.

"Accordingly, the Commission has issued notices to the secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the chief secretary of Delhi as well as the city's police commissioner seeking a detailed report within four weeks," the statement said.

"They are expected to mention in detail the steps taken or steps to be taken to address the issue of security in the hospitals," it said.

The Commission also said that the agencies being the administrators of the government hospitals are duty-bound to ensure that incidents of violence and loss of human lives due to such issues do not recur inside the hospitals.

According to the media report, the security arrangements in most of the Delhi hospitals are "very poor", the statement said.

Usually, attendants of patients are issued special attendant or visitor cards by hospitals to restrict entry of unwanted visitors in hospital wards, but the system of issuing visitor cards to the attendants of the patients is "not functional in most of the government hospitals in Delhi," it said quoting the report.

According to the news report, no such cards are being issued to attendants by the GTB Hospital authorities. The guards on duty would "allow visitors without any enquiry". This recent incident of violence at the GTB Hospital in the national capital is "not an isolated case".