Security at Kolkata government hospitals remain bleak even as Central forces take over at R.G. Kar

State-run hospitals in West Bengal face security gaps despite CISF deployment, highlighting safety concerns for female healthcare workers.

Two companies of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) have taken control of security at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital (RGKMCH), but a visit to at least two other State-run top government hospitals reveals gaps in security, with the State government’s new initiative for safety of women in the workplace after the brutal rape and murder of a doctor on duty on August 9, yet to come into force.

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Students pointed out a lack of CCTV cameras, inadequate security arrangements, and unsafe working conditions after dark. Medical College, Kolkata (MCK) in the heart of the city is the central node of government medical facilities in West Bengal. From heavy patient load to handling critical cases, it is one of the busiest government hospitals, but the security system is as inadequate as it was before the RGKMCH violence in the wee hours of August 15. The hospital has six gates, and Kolkata Police has increased police deployment in only gate number two (main gate), the rest remain as unprotected as before.

A first-year PGT doctor in the ENT department said she has not seen much change in the number of security guards in the buildings or wards. Talking to The Hindu, the doctor said: “When we are alone during night duties, there is not much security. There is only one guard at the front entrance, he is asleep most of the time. In case of any altercation with agitated patient parties, we are usually left to our own devices.”

As a resident doctor who must handle many night duties all alone in her department, like many other female doctors in the hospital, she said, “ENT, my department, is in an old heritage building, so there is no lift or ramp here. In the middle of the night, in case of emergencies or to attend to critical patients, we must come down and step outside the building in the dark and cater to them.” In such situations, if the patient parties become violent, the first thought that crosses their mind is, “We are doomed.”

Trying to cope with these circumstances, resident doctors have come up with their own ingenious ideas. For instance, if a patient is accompanied by a huge mob, especially at night, they try to deflect the crowd, so they can carry out their medical duties in peace and not be constantly worried about violence breaking out.

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