Sambalpur, Aug. 12: The surveillance system at the Veer Surendra Sai Medical College and Hospital in Burla is being beefed up.

Closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) will be installed at the hospital for security reasons. District collector Balwant Singh today said: “At a review meeting, a decision was taken to install CCTV cameras in the hospital. A team had visited the hospital to determine the need for such a system. We are working out how many cameras will be required for the entire complex.” This, he said, would help the authorities in maintaining discipline on the hospital premises.

“The team visited all the wards and departments of the hospital,” said hospital manager K. Mahanta.

At present, security guards monitor movement of the public and patients on the hospital premises. The move of the district administration to install the CCTV cameras has been widely appreciated by the public and social workers.

“This is a welcome move. Several patients have complained about theft inside the hospital. Such incidents will come down once the system is installed,” said convener of the Veer Surendra Sai Medical College and Hospital Vikash Parishad Gopal Lal.

“The cameras will also make sure the staff are more helpful towards patients and their relatives,” he said.

The installation of the CCTV cameras would deter doctors from skipping duty at the hospital to visit nursing homes, he added.

“Earlier, biometrics machines were installed in the hospital to keep tabs on doctors and medical staff. However, all the machines are lying defunct now. All of them went out of order just a few days after they were installed. The authorities should ensure that the CCTV system does not go the biometrics way,” said Lal.

“Sometimes patients complain about doctors’ negligence and the doctors accuse patients of misbehaviour. With the installation of the CCTV cameras, these incidents can be monitored properly,” said local resident Dhananjaya Satpathy.