Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) has said that the state government has agreed in principle to deploy security guards at all the state-run hospitals. In a statement, the PCMSA said that security guards from the Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO) will be stationed at hospitals around the clock.
The assurance was conveyed to the PCMSA representatives during a meeting held with the principal secretary, health and family welfare, Kumar Rahul, director health services Dr Hitinder Kaur, and director of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation, Dr Anil Goyal, the PCMSA statement said.
PCMSA president Akhil Sarin said the decision follows detailed deliberations between health minister Dr Balbir Singh, principal secretary of health and family welfare Kumar Rahul, and finance minister Harpal Cheema. The development comes after two clashes erupted in Dera Bassi (April 11) and Gurdaspur (April 12) civil hospitals.
It’s learnt that the finance department (FD) has agreed to the proposal, which will see round-the-clock security deployed at all district hospitals (DH), sub-divisional hospitals (SDH), and community health centres (CHCs). According to the proposal, the deployment of PESCO security guards will be ensured at all district hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals, and community health centres where medico-legal case (MLC) services are provided.
Morning-hour security will also be arranged at the remaining CHCs and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) hospitals, he said. The proposal is slated to be sent to the FD for formal approval within the coming days and is likely to be cleared within the next two to three weeks, Sarin added.
