Hospitals hire bouncers to deal with patient’s kin who are “high on emotion”
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 angst relatives of patients.
The dean of the hospital, Dr. Suleman Merchant took this decision after two incidents of manhandling of staff in their hospital.
- On 4th May, a sweeper was manhandled by a patient’s relative for delay in changing a diaper. He had requested the patient to wait five minutes as he had just come in for his shift. Though the sweeper excused the relatives, the hospital decided to act on it.
- Earlier, on April 18th, a 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 handed them over to the police.
Dr. Merchant reported that they have hired an extra 76 security guards in addition to the 100 they have. They have also decided to hire bouncers on temporary basis. He feels this a necessary step as attacks on doctors have increased and hospitals are becoming a dangerous place to work in.
It would indeed be odd to see a black clad bouncer in a white coat corridor but, it has become a necessary precautionary step to ensure safety of the staff.
One such bouncer, Rajan, working in Chennai explains to TOI, how his new job is different from what he is used to,
“I’m used to dealing with people who are high on spirit but, now I deal with people who are high on emotion and lose control”
Rajan explains that their main responsibilities include keeping vigil in the lobby and emergency unit and keeping emergency room from filling up with agitated relatives. The instructions to them clearly adds a soft touch to their hard looks.
- Despite their tough appearance, they are instructed not to rough up anyone.
- They are to simply block people and politely explain to them why they shouldn’t be crowding inside.
- If things get out of control they are to hand them over to the police.
Image for representational purpose only. Image credits : pixabay.com
