Berhampur: The MKCG Medical College and Hospital will shortly step up on-campus surveillance with installation of 104 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
Hospital superintendent Charan Panda said that Ganjam district collector Vijay Amrit Kulange has sanctioned Rs 15 lakh for installation of these CCTV cameras. "We are now having 12 CCTV cameras, including four in the casualty wing. Surveillance cameras have also been installed at intensive care unit (ICU), the Regional Diagnostic Centre (RDC) building and at the entrance to the indoor wards. But, we need more such cameras to beef up security," said Panda.
"Images captured through CCTV cameras would be closely monitored at the control room and visuals would be recorded for reference. The gadgets would be installed soon and surveillance would be maintained round-the-clock to prevent," he added.
"The hospital management proposed to install 100 CCTV cameras at various spots in the medical college and hospital complex three years ago. But it could not be implemented on time due to funds shortage. But when the collector came to know about the CCTV camera proposal, he immediately arranged funds and declared about it in the Swasthya Vikas Samiti meeting hed recently," said Panda.
President of BJP's health cell in Berhampur Ram Kumar Patra hailed the move. "But, there are many doctors and staffs who are not attending to duty on time and many remain absent as the biometric machines are not functioning. There are many brokers in the private clinics here having nexus with some doctors who are exploiting the poor patients. Such things should be regularised. We need to see how we can counter these irregularities with installation of the CCTV cameras," said Ram Kumar Patra.
"A pregnant woman was not provided a bed in the gynaecology ward last year and she gave birth to a child on the veranda. But till now, no doctor has been held responsible for the negligence. I hope installation of the CCTV cameras will help keep an eye over such incidents at MKCG in the future," he said.
