Chandigarh: The Punjab government has sanctioned the deployment of 205 security guards across 41 sub-divisional hospitals in the state, in a move aimed at protecting medical staff after a series of violent incidents and intimidation at government healthcare facilities, Mirror Now reported.

Source: Mirror Now

According to an order issued by the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC) on October 27, the guards will be sourced through the Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO), with five guards posted at each of the 41 hospitals. The initial deployment will run from November 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.

The decision follows an incident at the sub-divisional hospital in Kharar on October 24, where a woman medical officer was allegedly assaulted by a patient while on night duty. Mirror Now reported that the incident acted as a catalyst for the state to act on a demand medical staff had been raising for a long time. The assault is reported as an allegation; no finding is stated in the reporting.

The Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA) has welcomed the move. According to the association, around 90 to 100 incidents of violence against healthcare workers have been documented across Punjab over the last two years. PCMSA president Dr Akhil Sarin said security is a fundamental necessity rather than a luxury, particularly for women medical officers who are often vulnerable during night shifts.

On funding, the salaries of guards at 34 of the hospitals will be covered by the Emergency Response Fund (ERF), with the PHSC providing the funds to district health authorities. The remaining seven facilities — at Tappa, Talwandi Sabo, Zira, Malout, Nabha, Rajpura and Samana — will meet the cost from their own user charges.

The Director of Health Services has been instructed to make budgetary provision for 2027-28 so that salary payments continue after the initial five-month period ends in March. Dr Sarin urged the authorities to expedite the deployment and expressed hope that the security cover would be extended beyond March. The step builds on a similar expansion last year, when 200 guards were posted at district hospitals across Punjab.

Inshorts also reported the PHSC approval, confirming five guards per hospital through PESCO for the November 1 to March 31, 2027 period and the background of nearly 100 reported violence incidents against healthcare workers over two years, including the October 24 Kharar incident.

Source: Inshorts