Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian announced that a tag system for patient attendants will be introduced in a phased manner across all government medical colleges, district headquarters hospitals, and taluk hospitals.
This decision follows an incident in which Dr. Balaji Jagannathan, a senior oncologist at the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital (KCSSH), was stabbed multiple times by the son of a cancer patient he had treated.
The minister explained that the tag system had initially been piloted at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in early October.
This measure was intended to reduce crowding and improve the safety of healthcare professionals, following the rape and subsequent murder of a postgraduate medical student at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
The Tamil Nadu Health Minister said that the Directorates of Medical Education and Research and Medical and Rural Health Services would implement the tag system in a phased approach. It will be introduced in 36 government medical colleges, 37 district headquarters hospitals, and 320 taluk hospitals.
The tag system will use four colours to indicate patient areas: green for attendants of patients in surgical super specialities, red for those in Intensive Care Units, yellow for super speciality departments, and blue for general wards.
Each patient will be issued two tags for their attendants. In response to requests from doctors' associations, metal detectors and baggage scanners will also be piloted in one or two hospitals to further enhance security.
Ma Subramanian noted an increase in public trust in government hospitals and doctors, which has led to a significant rise in the number of people seeking medical care at government facilities.
He added that many patients who were previously treated at private hospitals are now turning to government hospitals due to the improved infrastructure and trust in doctors.
The minister also shared that pay wards, previously available only at RGGGH, have now been introduced in nearly 15 government hospitals, making services more accessible to the middle-income group. In response to the incident at R.G. Kar Medical College, the Tamil Nadu government has taken steps to improve security across college campuses.
These measures, implemented by the three health directorates, include joint security audits conducted by the police and health departments at all government medical colleges and hospitals.
The audits ensure that CCTV cameras are operational and monitored continuously, lighting is adequate, and police outposts are strengthened.
"These decisions are being implemented by the health directorates to ensure safety and maintain trust in our healthcare system," said Ma Subramanian.
(With inputs from IANS)
