Attack on Doctors: Kerala CM calls for stepping up security of hospitals, medical community

Speaking after releasing a book on the policy reforms in the health care sector written by senior bureaucrat Dr K Ellangovan, IAS, the Chief Minister said the government would consider posting ex-service personnel as security staff in both the government and private health establishments.

Dr Ellangovan, Industries and NORKA Principal Secretary and a medical doctor himself, in his book 'Creating Value in Health Care', focuses on the policy reforms needed to achieve higher results to the satisfaction of both physicians and patients, at a time when the sustained presence of Covid-19 has deranged economies the world over.

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The Chief Minister hailed the research-driven work's potential to trigger discussions in the wake of demands for a relook at the healthcare system to assess its ability to manage pandemic situations.

Decrying the recent attacks on hospitals in the state and highlighting the need for timely interventions to check such instances, the Chief Minister called for "proper" security in healthcare establishments, according to a statement issued by Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion.

"Proper security measures need to be installed in both government and private hospitals. Ex-Servicemen can be accorded priority for security postings in hospitals," he said at the virtual launch function.

"Hospitals should have CCTV facilities, where the audio-visuals can be promptly passed on to the nearest police aid post", he said.

Vijayan said Kerala's hospitals seldom witnessed the kind of "horrific" scenes unlike several other states did owing to inadequate infrastructure for COVID-19 treatment.

Noting that Dr Ellangovan's book emphasizes on knowledge-gathering, he pointed out its pooling in wisdom from experts across the world makes 'Creating Value in Health Care' an ideal case of give-and-take.

Minister for Law, Industries and Coir P Rajeeve said Dr Ellangovan's book offers a global perspective about healthcare, employing modern tools of research.

"Its recommendations will be of use for health workers and the public at large," he added.

Public Health Foundation of India President Prof K Srinath Reddy, while introducing the book, said Dr Ellangovan goes for a panoramic portrayal of the challenges in the structural performance of India's healthcare. With wise recommendations stemming from incisive analysis, the publication considers issues beyond COVID-19 by throwing light on overall national healthcare.

Ellangovan, who is a qualified medical doctor (Master of Surgery in Orthopaedics), said the book makes pioneering contributions by charting a performance-enabling framework for hospitals, performance polygon and value matrix.