Even after two years have elapsed since the decision to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras in the Srinagar’s mental care hospital was taken, the hospital administration has failed to follow the recommendations.
Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, Rainawari is the oldest hospital dealing with the patients who turn violent and are to be controlled, for which the hospital is supposed to have a proper monitoring system.
Earlier, a committee was set up by the authorities after a mysterious incident took place in the hospital. The committee recommended the installation of CCTV cameras.
However, the hospital administration has failed to follow the directions thereby negating the very concept of forming a committee.
Officials in the hospital told ‘Kashmir Vision’ that there is a need of CCTV cameras, but more than two years have passed there has been no movement forward in this direction.
A senior doctor, wishing anonymity said that “after recommending the installation of CCTV cameras in the hospital, we have officially requested for it, but nobody paid heed over our pleas.”
Officials said that a woman in a video had alleged that the inmates were being mistreated by the lower rung employees in the hospital. However, the hospital administration refuted the allegations and formed a committee to probe the veracity of allegations that submitted its report.
The officials said that if the CCTV cameras were installed in the hospital, as it was recommended, such allegations would have been out rightly rejected.
“The CCTV installations could help the administration to trace the happenings inside the hospital premises,” officials said.
“We continuously plead before the higher ups to install the CCTV cameras in the hospital but unfortunate nothing has been done in this regard,” officials said.
Experts believe that patients undergoing treatment in the hospital have to be under continuous surveillance given the nature of patients that are admitted in the hospital.
The hospital administration alleged that this hospital has been pushed to the wall and stands forgotten by the government.
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