Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) administration restricted the number of companions with patients in the wards to two from Sunday to curb violence in the health hub.

Two visitor passes were issued at the registration counters against each patient admitted to the hospital. The patients’ attendants had to show the passes to security guards while entering the wards. Nobody was allowed inside without the passes.

PMCH principal Dr N.P. Yadav said: “Attendants coming in groups with patients attacked doctors and created ruckus in the hospital few times of late. We were contemplating to put a check on the flow of relatives accompanying the patients for some time. Now we have done it. An order in this regard was notified recently.”

He said the security guards and police personnel deployed at the wards, including the central emergency, were instructed to ensure that the order was executed.

“They have been given clear instructions that apart from the patient, only two attendants carrying the passes issued at the registration counters should be allowed in. This is the only way to stop clashes,” Yadav said.

Members of Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) at the PMCH welcomed the decision taken by the hospital management.

“We have always demanded that only one or two attendants per patient should be allowed inside the wards. Criminals often take undue advantage of the emotional outburst of attendants in case an emergency case goes wrong and launch attack on doctors and hospital properties. These happen when there is no check on the number of people allowed inside the wards. The authorities should ensure entry of two attendants becomes a practice,” said PMCH JDA president Dr Rakesh Kumar.

On July 27, attendants of a patient rushed to the hospital after an accident assaulted two junior doctors. A postgraduate medical student on duty in the paediatric ward was roughed up on June 13 by attendants of an acute encephalitis syndrome patient.

The hospital authorities are also planning to put a check on the parking of private ambulances and unauthorised vehicles on the PMCH campus.

“Of late, we have been getting complaints that even doctors do not get space to park their vehicles near the wards. Recently, 15 private vehicles were parked outside paediatric ward while doctors were looking for parking space. No one came forward when we tried to find out whose vehicles were those. We cannot put a blanket ban on all cars except the doctors’ because some attendants of patients also bring their vehicles. But we are trying to chalk out a way to regulate things,” the principal said.

Dr Kumar said parking of private ambulances used to ferry patients to private hospitals should not be allowed on the PMCH campus.