Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to all police stations for handling cases of violence against doctors and the vandalism of hospitals by patients and their relatives.
According to the release issued by the CP, in the case of complaints of medical negligence, the police must forward such complaints to the expert district committee set up by the state government. After receiving a report from the committee, the next course of action should be taken.
In cases of inappropriate behaviour by patients and their relatives with medical professionals and hospitals, action should be taken as per the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010.
The CP has instructed senior police inspectors to provide their contact numbers to hospitals and address their issues when called. Additionally, hospitals have been advised to request police presence if they anticipate a law and order issue, such as when a patient dies.
"If the police receive any information about a quarrel with patients' relatives over overcharging by hospitals, they should immediately intervene to ensure there is no law and order issue," the release added.
"There should be 24x7 security for doctors and staff on hospital premises. Safety audits of all hospitals must be conducted, and hospitals should be instructed to install CCTV cameras," it further stated.
