NMC instructs all medical colleges to develop policy for safe work environment

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released an advisory to all medical colleges. The advisory comes in the wake of an alleged rape and killing of a trainee doctor at a government hospital in Kolkata. NMC urged all medical colleges and hospitals to make a policy to create a safe environment within the campuses for all the staff members including faculty, students and resident doctors. 

Many resident doctors working at the hospital across the country are on strike in protest against the incident. Incidents of violence against doctors in medical colleges have been reported in the past, said the advisory.

The advisory reads, 'All medical colleges are requested to develop a policy for a safe work environment within the college and hospital campus for all the staff members including faculty, medical students and resident doctors.' The policy should ensure adequate safety measures at OPD, wards, casualty,



hostels and other open areas in the campuses and residential quarters, it added.

Corridors and campus be well lit in the evening for staff to walk safely from one place to other and all sensitive areas be covered by CCTV for monitoring', the advisory further reads. Security measures, including posting adequate security staff (male and female), should be made available at the OPD, wards, casualty, labour rooms, hostels, residential quarters and other open areas in the medical college and hospital campuses, it added.

The commission has asked all medical institutes to take strict action against any incident of violence. Also, the college management should investigate the matter and lodge an FIR if any incident of violence happens with any medical student. ''A detailed action-taken report on any incident of violence should invariably be sent to the National Medical Commission within 48 hours of the incident, the advisory said.