West Bengal CM orders hospitals to tighten security after molestation cases

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday directed officials to ensure the safety and security of patients, visitors and doctors in all medical establishments across the state following incidents of alleged molestation of a minor and a medic at state-run hospitals in Kolkata and Uluberia, a top official said. 

Banerjee, who addressed a high-level meeting over the phone, directed officials to take all possible measures to prevent any recurrence of such incidents, he said. 

"She emphasised that harassment of anyone coming for treatment will not be tolerated under any circumstances. She also directed the administration to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards such offences," the bureaucrat told PTI. 

Banerjee, who is also the state health minister, directed the department to review the existing security arrangements in the hospitals and to strengthen them wherever necessary. 

"This includes measures such as the need for staff training after recruitment. She instructed that hospitals must have adequate lighting and functional CCTV cameras at all times. If any CCTV camera is found to be faulty, it must be replaced immediately," he stated. 

The high-level meeting convened by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant was attended by senior officials of the state health department, including DGP Rajeev Kumar, health secretary NS Nigam and others. 

Superintendents of all government hospitals, the principals of medical colleges, and all district magistrates and superintendents of police were also present in Saturday's meeting. 

"The officials present at the meeting were asked to submit an action plan at the earliest to implement the directives," the official said, adding that a set of directives was issued, acting on Banerjee's advice. 

"The chief minister advised that, from now on, the previous track record of any prospective employee must be carefully examined before their appointment. She also directed authorities to ensure that all staff follow a designated uniform and that duty rosters are maintained properly. The roster should clearly show who is entering and leaving the hospital at any given time, which will help in investigations if any untoward incident occurs," he said. 

During the meeting, discussions were held on several measures to strengthen hospital security, the bureaucrat said. 

A teenage girl was allegedly molested by a former group D staffer of a government hospital in the state-run SSKM Hospital here on Wednesday night. 

The accused was arrested from Dhapa and booked under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 

In Howrah district's Uluberia, a junior woman doctor at the Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Medical College and Hospital was allegedly molested and threatened with gangrape by relatives of patients. Later, police arrested three persons for their alleged involvement in the matter.