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Sion hospital hires bouncers to protect staff from patients' kin

Dr Suleman Merchant, dean of the hospital, made this move after a doctor and a sweeper was manhandled by a patient's relative on Monday.

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Sion hospital dean Dr Suleman Marchant with the newly recruited bouncers on Tuesday
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In three hours flat, LTMG Sion hospital — one of the three tertiary care hospitals of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) — recruited forty bouncers from a private security agency to protect its medical staff from the ire of kin of patients.

Dr Suleman Merchant, dean of the hospital, made this move after a doctor and a sweeper was manhandled by a patient's relative on Monday.

"On Monday night, a sweeper was manhandled by a patient's relative for delay in changing a diaper. He had just come in for his shift and had requested the patient to wait for five minutes," said Dr Merchant.

Dr Merchant added that though the sweeper had later excused the relative, the hospital took the issue seriously. "On April 18, a medicine department resident doctor was assaulted by a patient and his friend as he failed to reply to their query while attending to another patient. The security guard and other people managed to nab them and handed them over to the police. We can't encourage such behaviour and it is important that we do something for the security of our staff," said the dean.

While the administration is in the process to fill vacant security posts, Dr Merchant decided to get the bouncers on temporary basis. "We now have 76 private security guards in addition to the 100 we already have. They will now man every ward and floor round the clock," he added.

With attacks on doctors by irate families on the rise, hospitals are becoming dangerous places to work in. While some institutes are stepping up security by installing more CCTV cameras, a few are going a step further by hiring bouncers in addition to security guards.

"We get 8,000 patients on an average every day. Last year, the hospital saw 19 lakh patients. The hospital has never denied admission to any patient and on the contrary we have successfully treated complex cases," informed Dr Merchant.

According to the figures provided by the BMC, in 2014, KEM hospital — which is the corporation's biggest tertiary care hospital — saw 18 lakh patients in its OPD.

Apart from shortage in security guards, Sion hospital is also dealing with shortage of class IV workers. "The required strength at our hospital is 1,500. We have 400 vacant posts of class IV workers. Also, there are many on summer vacation and we are therefore feeling the pinch," said Dr Merchant.

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