MANGALURU, 17 AUG

Condemning the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday said a meeting has been called on Tuesday to discuss the steps to be taken to ensure the safety and security of doctors, nurses and all the staff working in hospitals across the State.

Terming the incident as 'ghastly', he said it is a serious issue regarding the safety and security of people working in hospitals, especially women because they constitute more than 50 per cent of the staff. So, there should be a safe environment for them.

The Minister said, "On Tuesday’s meeting, we will be discussing what is in the existing law, what we can do, what are the protocols and what are the guidelines we need to follow. Based on that, further steps will be taken."

In his response to the nationwide strike called by the member doctors of the Indian Medical Association, he said, "We understand the reason for the protest and they (doctors) can do it, but people should not face any difficulty and all of them have agreed to it and ensure that essential services are running," he added.

Asked if the 20 August meeting is only limited to safety standards in government hospitals in the State, the Minister said, "Whether it is government or private hospital, everywhere we need to see how we can maintain proper safety standards and how to improve that because everyone should work in a safe environment that is most important." -PTI