On Tuesday, the Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association (HRDA) has urged DGP Mahendar Reddy for recruiting a dedicated Special Protection Force for teaching hospitals in the state. Telangana has started to fill the vacant posts in several government departments and therefore the demand for a dedicated police force is increasing within the medical fraternity. 

The association has noted that it is necessary as per a 2019 GO, to give sanction for the formation of 164 posts under the Director-General of Telangana State Special Protection Force (TSSPF) for deployment in many government teaching hospitals or at the district medical units. These positions will include inspectors, sub-inspectors, and constables to manage the hospital premises from unfortunate actions.

The HRDA said to the DGP that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the attacks on healthcare professionals, and with the third wave possibility, have requested to initiate the recruitment process at the earliest and enforce GO 103.

The PG students are often assaulted. They said that a delay of 18 months for the implementation of the GO is not acceptable. Only Niloufer Hospital has a Special Protection Force and no other hospital in the state has it. Dr. Lohith Reddy, a final-year PG student of Gandhi Hospital said that after repeated attacks, Hyderabad City Police is delegated on each floor from April 2020 in Gandhi Hospital. But the police restricted their presence to the Covid ward only. There are almost 15 emergency units in the hospital where conflict occurs and at least one police personnel is required to prevent attacks.

Source: The New Indian Express