The Odisha government has issued a new policy to provide a safe working environment to doctors, medical students, and others engaged in health care.

The guidelines stress zero tolerance for harassment or bullying.

The state has issued the policy to avoid unpleasant situations like the one witnessed at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where a junior doctor was raped and murdered. Odisha has also reported several cases where the doctors had to face the wrath of the hooligans at their workplaces.

The policy states that institutions should foster a respectful workplace culture, addressing harassment, bullying or discrimination, and promoting a culture of inclusivity and respect.

The health institution should provide orientation and training on respectful workplace culture, hospital safety policies, provision for emergency situations, respectful communication, punctuality and transparency to all medical workers, students and security personnel. The health institutions should take steps to offer support services, including counselling, women’s self-defence training programmes and peer support groups to address workplace stress or trauma.

The guidelines have been issued under six parameters — access control, security arrangements, availability of duty room and restroom for doctors and staff, emergency response plan, respectful workplace culture, and support services.

According to the guidelines, all health institutions should have boundary walls with defined entry and exit gates. All employees and workers of the health institution should be provided with an ID card. A dress code should be introduced.

Visitor pass systems are to be introduced for indoor patients. Attendants will have to wait in a designated waiting area outside the ward and will be allowed to meet the patients during the visiting hour, which the medical institution will decide.

Security guards will be posted in all OPDs and 24X7 outside the wards. “If required, security hubs may be set up near high-case-load departments in the hospital. CCTV cameras are to be installed at the hospital’s strategic locations to monitor the hospital’s activities,” it said.

The policy also advocates well-designated parking areas, police outposts, the deployment of at least one female police staff member, and the availability of doctors’ duty rooms and washrooms for male and female nurses.

The policy states that a clear emergency response plan should be developed for all institutions, which may include panic buttons, emergency phones, and mobile apps to respond quickly to any threat and in an emergency.

It also states that prominent signage must be displayed on the campus stating that patients, attendants and family must behave in a respectful manner to all the medical and supporting staff. It also states that signage highlighting the penal provision under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Odisha Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage Property) Act 2008 should be placed in front of the health institutions.