After backlash, Bengal hospital revokes order asking doctors to share their location

“As per the direction of the Deputy Director Health Administration (Swastha Bhawan), all medical officers performing outpatient department (OPD) service, on-call service, OT service, emergency service, high-dependency unit (HDU service and special newborn care units services are requested to share their current location,” the notice read. It angered a section of doctors who raised serious objection against the order.

Calling it an “autocratic move”, the doctors claimed that such directives were humiliating and tarnished their image.

A senior health department official said, “ No such notice was issued by the Swastha Bhawan (department administration). The instructions given by the Baruipur Sub-Divisional Hospital to the doctors to share their mobile location was their decision. The department has nothing to do with it. The hospital superintendent was even summoned to the Swastha Bhawan for having issued the order, it is learnt.

Deputy Director Health Administration Dr Subhranshu Chakraborty said, “It is not in my knowledge, I only came to know about it when the matter was brought to Swastha Bhawan’s notice. The Sub-Divisional Hospital has revoked the the notice,” Subhanshu Chakraborty told The Indian Express.

Dubbing the hospital guidelines as “authoritarian, Sajal Biswas, general secretary of the Service Doctors Forum, said, “This notice is a violation of human rights.”

The Association of Health Service Doctors has written to the director health seeking an explanation in connection with the notice passed by the Baruipur SDH superintendent.

“Had it been a policy decision, even as derogatory, it should have been circulated among all the hospitals. We demand action against the hospital authorities for issuing such a notice,” said Prof Manas Gumta, general secretary of the association.