High-power committee led by ex-Bengal top cop to audit security in hospitals

The West Bengal government has formed a special committee to conduct a security audit of all government-run medical colleges and hospitals across the state. This move comes in response to calls for increased security measures in hospitals following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a state-run medical college in Kolkata.
The seven-member high-power committee will be headed by former West Bengal Police DGP Surajit Kar Purkayastha, who also served as an advisor to the government after his retirement, according to a government notification.
The committee members include Col. Nevendera Paul Singh, Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police; Joy Biswas, DIG of West Bengal Police; Pushpa, Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner; Tapas Maity, Superintending Engineer of the Health Circle in the Public Works Department; Soumya Bhattacharya, Additional Secretary to the Home and Hill Affairs Department; and Khalid Qaisar, Joint Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department.
Calling it a challenging task, committee chairman Purkayastha said, “We will review the physical security arrangements of all medical colleges and hospitals in the state. We will hold meetings with all stakeholders involved in medical institutions and then submit our recommendations to the government of West Bengal to ensure safety, security, and a proper environment in these facilities.”
The committee has been tasked with submitting its initial report within two months.
Another committee member told India Today, “This committee has been formed to evaluate the security measures in all medical colleges and hospitals across the state. It will work to improve and upgrade security measures, ensuring a safe environment for healthcare, education, and research.”
According to sources, the committee’s scope of work includes assessing the safety of doctors, medical personnel, students, patients, and administrative staff, as well as reviewing existing security arrangements, among other matters. After careful evaluation, the committee will recommend actionable measures to enhance the security environment in all medical colleges and hospitals.
The government will also form district-level committees to conduct security audits in medical colleges and hospitals across all districts.
This development comes a day after junior doctors resumed their protest, alleging that the government had not fulfilled the promises made to them during the previous meeting. The protest continued on Wednesday, disrupting healthcare services across the state.
Healthcare services in West Bengal were affected as junior doctors continued their strike on Wednesday, demanding proper security at state-run hospitals in the wake of their colleague’s rape and murder.