NMC issues advisory for all medical colleges to develop policy for safe work environment

NEW DELHI: The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued an advisory for all medical colleges urging them to develop a policy for a safe work environment within the college and hospital campuses for all the staff members, including faculty, students, and resident doctors. The advisory was issued after the alleged rape and murder of a PG trainee doctor at a government hospital, RG Kar Medical and Hospital, has sent shockwaves across the country.

Moreover, the resident doctors and junior doctors across the country have been going on protest against the gruesome murder of the Kolkata doctor. The junior doctors protesting at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital has set deadline of August 14 for the Kolkata Police to complete the investigation into the matter.

The commission said that the advisory was being issued keeping in view of incidents of violence against doctors in medical colleges in the recent past.

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“The policy should ensure adequate safety measures at OPD, wards, casualty, hostels and other open areas in the campuses and residential quarters. Corridors and campus be well lit in the evening for staff to walk safely from one place to another and all sensitive areas be covered by CCTV for monitoring,” the NMC said.

Security measures, including posting of adequate security staff (male and female) should be made available at the OPD, wards, casualty, labor rooms, hostels and residential quarters and other open areas in the medical college and hospital campus, it said.

It further said that any incident of violence against the medical students should be promptly investigated by the college management, It also instructed the administration to lodge an FIR with the police. “A detailed action taken report on any incident of violence should invariably be sent to the National Medical Commission (NMC) within 48 hours of the incident,” it added.