NHRC takes suo motu cognizance of the media report about a patient being shot dead inside a ward of the GTB hospital in Dilshad Garden, Delhi

Press Release

National Human Rights Commission

New Delhi, 18th July, 2024

NHRC takes suo motu cognizance of the media report about a patient being shot dead inside a ward of the GTB hospital in Dilshad Garden, Delhi

Expresses concerns over the reported lack of safety and security in Delhi hospitals

Issues notices to the Union Health & Family Welfare Secretary, Delhi Chief Secretary and the Police Commissioner calling for a report in the matter

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a patient was shot dead by the assailants inside a ward of the GTB hospital in Dilshad Garden, Delhi on 14th July, 2024. According to the media report, carried on 15th July, 2024, anyone can enter the hospital wards without any restrictions. The security guards do not pay any attention towards the safety and security of patients. Those coming inside the hospital to meet the patients are never checked by the security staff. There is no provision of equipment like metal detectors, bag scanners etc. in the government hospitals in Delhi.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise serious issues of lack of safety and security in the government hospitals in Delhi. Apparently, there is an immediate need for government hospitals to strengthen safety and security arrangements. Accordingly, the Commission has issued notices to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Chief Secretary, Government of NCT of Delhi as well as the Commissioner of Police, Delhi to submit a detailed report in the matter within four weeks. They are expected to mention in detail the steps taken/ to be taken to address the issue of security in the hospitals.

Issuing the notices, the Commission has further observed that apart from the medical treatment of the patients, their safety is also a crucial aspect to be looked into by the administration of the government hospitals. The agencies being the administrators of the government hospitals are duty-bound to ensure that incidents of violence and loss of human lives due to them do not recur inside the hospitals.

According to the media report, the security arrangements in most of the Delhi hospitals are very poor. Usually, the attendants of the patients are issued special attendant/ visitor cards by the hospitals to restrict the entry of unwanted visitors in the Hospital Wards but the system of issuing visitor cards to the attendants of the patients is not functional in most of the government hospitals in Delhi. As per the news report, no such cards are being issued to the attendants by the GTB Hospital authorities. The guards on duty would allow the visitors without any enquiry. This recent incident of violence in the GTB Hospital in the National Capital is not an isolated case.

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