The Health department will implement the Code Grey protocol in hospitals across the State for the protection of hospitals and hospital workers, according to Health Minister Veena George.
Hospital overhead codes have been devised as part of hospitals’ emergency management and response to ensure that every member of the hospital staff has a clear idea of their role and response during an emergency. A uniform and pre-planned response to various emergencies can often save time as well as lives.
In many hospitals in the West, Code Grey is called to alert the hospital staff to a dangerous or combative person in the hospital or to criminal activity somewhere in the hospital.
A hospital may use Code Grey “if someone, including a patient, is being aggressive, abusive, violent, or displaying threatening behaviour”. This is an alert for security personnel in the hospital to act and assist the hospital staff to manage the situation or remove the aggressor from the premises.
Adapted to State’s needs
This protocol used in hospitals in the West will be modified suitably and adapted for the State’s hospitals so as to defuse hospital emergencies, Ms. George claimed, while addressing a workshop here on Monday.
The protocol will be modified to suit all categories of health-care institutions in the State, she said, while addressing a workshop on formulating hospital codes here. Experts from the Health and Police departments participated in the workshop.
Safety audits
The government has been trying to take steps to prevent attacks or violence on hospitals and health workers, including modification of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012. In order to make hospitals a safe space for health workers, the government is now in the process of conducting safety audits in all hospitals in the State.
Harshita Attaluri, IG of Police; C.H. Nagaraju, City Police Commissioner; Ratan Kelkar, Secretary, Medical Education; and Director of Health Services K.J. Reena, among others, spoke.
