Jamshedpur Medical College Makes Uniforms Mandatory for Doctors, Staff at MGMMCH

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College and Hospital (MGMMCH), Jamshedpur, advised doctors, paramedical staff and other employees to wear their required uniforms while on duty from this week. The decision follows a Directorate of Medical Education directive issued on August 20 and applies across to the hospital OPD’s, wards, and medical college campus. Doctors are advised to wear aprons during duty hours, while other employes will have to the prescribed dress code.

This major step aims to help patients and attendants, identifying doctors and other medical staff more easily at the hospital premises and MGMMCH has instructed all department heads to ensure compliance.

According to the reports by The Times of India, Dr. Sanjay Kumar, MGMMCH principal, said that the instructions were issued to all heads of departments on Sunday. As per the directive all must comply with it, or else “Disciplinary action will be taken against found not wearing the prescribed professional attire while on duty,” Kumar said.

Mukhtar Alam, a Mango resident and social worker who frequently visits MGMMCH with patients, said that identifying doctors can become difficult in crowded wards when they are not wearing aprons, according to The Times of India.

Employees who fail to follow the prescribed dress code while on duty may face disciplinary action, according to Dr. Kumar.

Also see: Two Sisters Among Three Children Dead as Cerebral Malaria Outbreak Hits Jharkhand Villages

On the night of August 17, a 12-year-old boy died of cerebral malaria in the PICU, as the allegations were made that a doctor was unavailable on duty and the absence lead to the delay in medical attention. Cerebral malaria is a severe form of malaria that can affect the brain and requires prompt medical treatment. The incident prompted fresh instructions from the Directorate of Medical Education.

The uniform requirement can make healthcare workers easier to identify, but it does not by itself solve the concerns about staffing or response times.

(Rh/TP)