The Jalpaiguri Government Medical College & Hospital (JGMCH) will install 20 “panic buttons” throughout the hospital as a part of its measures to enhance safety for both its staff and patients.
These buttons, once activated, will immediately alert the local police outpost and internal security teams, ensuring rapid response during emergencies.
The August 9 rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar hospital in Calcutta underlined the need for stringent security inside healthcare institutions.
Kalyan Khan, the medical superintendent-cum-vice principal of the JGMCH, said the panic button system is a response to safety concerns.
“Particularly in the light of increasing incidents of violence against healthcare workers, our proposal of installing panic buttons at the hospital has been sanctioned. We will install the buttons soon,” he said.
“In addition to the panic buttons, our college is enhancing the security at the resting areas of doctors. Among these are installing peepholes and door chains on doors to allow safe monitoring of visitors. Biometric access systems have been introduced, particularly in resting rooms, to prevent unauthorised entry and maintain secure spaces for medical personnel during their breaks,” Khan added.
He stated that these measures underline the importance of creating a secure and supportive atmosphere for the hospital staff while ensuring patient safety.
Sources said that the panic buttons enable real-time communication with law enforcement agencies.
“The installation of these measures is part of a broader effort to improve workplace safety and operational efficiency at the hospital,” said a senior doctor at JGMCH.
Extra beds
Authorities at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) on the outskirts of Siliguri are all set to increase the number of beds in the critical care
unit (CCU) beds.
As of now, there are 14 beds. There are plans to double the number of beds,
said sources.
Sources said the CCU would be shifted to the super-specialty block that has come up in the hospital premises. There, more beds will be added to the CCU to provide critical care treatment to more patients.
Nandan Bandopadhyay, the additional superintendent of NBMCH, said efforts are underway to operationalise indoor services in the super-specialty block.
“As part of this plan, the CCU and the trauma care centre will be relocated there. The move aims to enhance the capacity of CCU to address the growing demand for critical care. Currently, patients face long waiting periods for a CCU bed,” he said.
