• More CCTV cameras
• Better illumination at government medical colleges
• More resting rooms andtoilets

Government medical colleges have seen several changes since the RG Kar rape and murder on August 9 but promises of many more are yet to be fulfilled.

Hospitals are still refusing patients and a central referral system, which junior doctors have been demanding, is yet to take off across the state.

The junior doctors went on 42-day cease-work across Bengal after the rape and murder. After withdrawing the cease-work they started a hunger strike, which continued for 17 days.

The doctors demanded more security, especially for women on the night shift, and better working conditions. The state government had announced a series of measures.

Metro visited medical colleges in the city, and spoke to junior doctors and officials, on Friday to spot the changes.

CCTV cameras

At RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, more than 400 new CCTV cameras have been installed, officials said.

“Now, there are more than 530 cameras at the hospital. Cameras have been installed in corridors and other areas,” said an official at RG Kar.

At NRS Medical College and Hospital, CCTV cameras were seen in areas like outside the Emergency ward, near the main gates and outside the hostels.

Junior doctors admitted that many cameras have been installed at several medical colleges.

A postgraduate trainee (PGT) of surgery at NRS said the number of cameras in the corridors of their department has nearly doubled.

A PGT at RG Kar said the number of cameras has gone up but many floors are still not under surveillance.

“The general medicine department is still without cameras,” the PGT said.

“Many cameras have been set up and more will be installed,” said a health department official.

Resting rooms, toilets

PGTs at Medical College Kolkata, RG Kar and Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital said new resting rooms for doctors have been built.

“New resting rooms have come up in the gynaecology and general medicine wards. Old toilets have been repaired and a couple of new toilets have been built in some wards,” said Mrinmoy Basak, a PGT at National Medical
College.

A PGT at Medical College Kolkata said more resting rooms have been built but in some cases, at the cost of resting rooms for nurses. “The situation is worse at medical colleges outside Calcutta,” he said.

A health department official said many resting rooms have been built and work is on to set up the remaining ones.

Panic buttons

The junior doctors Metro spoke to said panic buttons were yet to be installed at most hospitals.

A panic button, when pressed, is supposed to send alerts to the police outpost at the hospital.

PGTs at Medical College Kolkata, RG Kar, National Medical College and NRS said on Friday no panic button
had been installed at their
hospitals.

“We have installed panic buttons at many hospitals and work to install the remaining ones is underway,” said a health department official.

Patient refusal

A 38-year-old critically injured man was refused admission by many hospitals before he got a bed at SSKM Hospital’s trauma care centre late on Tuesday.

The patient’s family members said they were made to visit one hospital after another. They could have been spared the ordeal had the central referral system, which the government rolled out after the RG Kar horror, been functional.

“We have put a system in place. The doctors and hospitals should ensure that it remains functional,” a health department official said.