Safety of Doctors: The State Strengthens Police Presence in Hospitals

In response to recent cases of assaults targeting healthcare professionals in public hospitals, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam announced in Parliament that an increase in police presence is currently underway. This written response followed a parliamentary question from Labour MP Nitin Prayag regarding the status of ongoing investigations and measures planned to ensure the safety of medical staff.

The Prime Minister specified that "two incidents were reported at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital and one at Sir Anerood Jugnauth Hospital." Specifically, a Medical Health Officer reported "being the victim of verbal and physical assault by a patient" on March 9, 2026. Another doctor indicated "being assaulted by four men" at their workplace on March 30. Lastly, a General Practitioner working at SAJ Hospital stated "having been physically and verbally assaulted by a group of 20 unknown individuals." Regarding legal proceedings, Navin Ramgoolam noted that in the first case, "the alleged assailant has not been arrested as she is currently bedridden." In contrast, in the second case, "two individuals were arrested on April 1, 2026," and "provisionally charged with assaulting a civil authority agent causing bodily harm." They are currently in custody.

In the case of the third incident, "two individuals were arrested and provisionally charged with assaulting a civil authority agent" before being released on bail.

The Prime Minister clarified that "13 police officers are currently deployed at SAJ Hospital, and 9 at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital," with the latter being "on duty 24/7 operating in three shifts." He also reminded that "private security services are already available in all regional hospitals."

In light of the recurrence of these assaults, additional measures are being considered. The Ministry of Health "is looking into the possibility of deploying additional security personnel at various strategic points within the hospitals." Furthermore, "the Commissioner of Police is currently reviewing the deployment plan to increase the number of police officers assigned to the five regional hospitals."