Is your baby safe in Pune hospitals?

The theft of a baby boy from Mumbai’s Cama Hospital on Wednesday has once again brought into focus the issue of lax security arrangements and thefts of babies at government hospitals.

Following a spate of such incidents in 2010, the Bombay high court had rapped the state authorities for baby thefts and issued norms for all public and private hospitals to follow.

On Thursday, DNA conducted a test drive to review security arrangements at three prominent public hospitals. The first visit was to the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB)-run Sardar Vallabhai Patel Cantonment General Hospital at Golibar Maidan that left us shocked: Lack of security guards, unchecked entry into wards and no record of visitors. The only saving grace was a lone CCTV camera in the ward.

Medical officer, Dr SM Mahajan said he was on leave  and would review security arrangements on his return.

The next stop was Sassoon General Hospital. The maternity ward was a pleasant surprise as we saw a guard outside the ward checking visitors as well a CCTV camera. All mothers and children were issued identical tags. Dr Pradip Sambarey, head of gynaecology department said compliance started soon after the high court order.

However at the neonatology and paediatric wards housed in the paediatric building of the hospital, we were shocked to see that no guards stopped us from entering and roaming about freely on the premises that housed small children. While the main entrance to the neonatal ward was blocked, a lift allowed people easy access. Thankfully as this reporter started to enter the labour room, a nurse came rushing to ask our purpose.

Head of department, Dr Aarti Kinikar refused to speak, but hospital dean Dr Ajay Chandanwale said absence of guards in lifts was an aberration. “By the month-end, we will have CCTV cameras installed. They have been purchased. We have plans for female security staff outside wards,” he said.

The best compliance was seen at PMC-run Kamala Nehru Hospital. At both the neonatal as well as labour wards, a female security guard with a register to record visitors’ details was present, CCTV cameras were in place. Identical tags were issued to mother and child and records of tags maintained with nurses. The only lacunae were that the female security guard didn’t have a walkie-talkie.

Assistant medical superintendent, Dr Pravin Shinde said he wasn’t authorised to speak to the press. However he said he aware of every point in the HC guidelines .