In Astana, round-the-clock police posts have been established in six hospitals to protect medical workers. The measure was adopted amid an increase in cases of aggression and attacks on staff by patients and accompanying persons.
According to the press service of the city's public health department, security is provided by criminal police officers and the local police service of the Astana police department. Posts have been set up in three city multidisciplinary adult hospitals, the city children's hospital No.2, and two republican clinics.
"Police officers are on duty in the admission rooms, where incidents most often occur. When unlawful actions by citizens take place, police officers have the right to act within the law to stop them. Recently, cases of aggression towards medical workers have become more frequent and are often completely unprovoked," noted the deputy head of the department, Kadyr Zharasbayev.
He noted that the recent high-profile case in the Kostanay region, where a doctor was admitted to intensive care after an attack by a patient, only confirms the need for such measures.
In the near future, it is planned to organise security posts in the multidisciplinary children's hospitals No.1 and No.3, as well as in the city perinatal centre. In turn, doctors support the initiative. According to them, the posts help create a more stable and safe working environment.
"Setting up security posts gives us a sense of confidence that we are protected. Around 400 people with various injuries and conditions come to our admission room every day. We face aggression not only from patients but also from their relatives. Everyone demands immediate help, without considering that medical care is provided according to the Triage sorting system. Each patient has their own priority level," shared Madina Tabylievna, head of the admission department at the city multidisciplinary hospital No.2.
Recall that earlier, at the Ministry of Health, with the participation of the head of the department Akmara Alnazarova and the chairman of the board of JSC "Kazakhtelecom" Bagdat Musin, digital solutions using artificial intelligence were discussed.
The projects concerned issues of improving the safety of medical personnel, expanding the availability of medical care for the rural population, as well as reducing the burden on doctors.
One of these innovations is the introduction of smart video tags to improve the safety of medical workers. It has become known that the technology is already being used in a pilot mode by five ambulance teams in Astana, and a launch in Almaty is planned in the near future. The initiative was supported by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.