With incidents of physical attack on doctors on the rise across Odisha, the health and family welfare department today demanded opening of police outposts in all the health care centres in the state.
"As the incidents of manhandling of doctors are growing, it is requested that police outposts be opened in all tertiary care institutions, district headquarters hospital, sub-divisional hospitals in the state," secretary to health and family welfare department Arati Ahuja wrote to her counterpart in the home department.
Stating that the police personnel may be instructed to ensure safety and security of doctors and other government hospital staff, Ahuja said any apprehension of misconduct/ manhandling and others should be strictly looked into and prevented.
In recent months it was observed that the doctors are being manhandled by various "anti-social" elements on the pretext of wrong treatment, Ahuja said, adding that this has led to a feeling of insecurity among doctors and other staff working in health institutions in the state.
Ahuja suggested the home department that FIRs must be lodged in all such cases by including most stringent sections of the law and proper follow up must be done by the investigating agency to ensure that the cases against attackers reach their logical end.
There have been a series of attack on doctors at Puri, Bhubaneswar and a recent incident at Balasore.
A doctor of Balasore district headquarters hospital was critically injured after the kin of a patient, who had died there, allegedly attacked him today. The doctor has been admitted to the intensive care unit, sources said.
Two days ago, doctors at Puri district headquarters hospital had gone on strike after a doctor was attacked by relatives of a patient.
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