DMER introduces Code Pink protocol for newborn security | Mumbai News
Mumbai: Two months after a newborn was abducted from a govt hospital in Sangli, the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) introduced a ‘Code Pink’ protocol to strengthen security for newborns in public hospitals.The comprehensive guidelines include the round-the-clock deployment of security personnel outside maternity wards and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), mandatory ID verification for mothers and newborns, installation of CCTV cameras, panic alarms, and rigorous visitor entry logs.Hospitals will also be required to conduct staff training and mock drills every three months. In the event of a suspected infant abduction, the protocol mandates an immediate lockdown of hospital premises.“The nurse must first confirm if the baby is truly missing. If confirmed, inform attending doctors and the medical superintendent, who will then declare Code Pink. The hospital’s telephone operator will inform all doctors, security, RMOs, supervisors, department/unit heads by announcing ‘Code Pink’ three times,” the DMER guidelines stipulate.Following the alert, all entry and exit points are to be sealed. “Authorities must review CCTV footage and alert all security staff. Any suspicious person should be detained and reported. Guards must check all bags and shops/stalls on the premises. Full details must be collected from the person who reported the incident. The medical superintendent must inform the nearest police station immediately and request appropriate action. Code Pink should remain in force for two hours after being declared,” the guidelines state.Dr Tushar Palve, medical superintendent of Cama and Albless Hospital for Women and Children, who was on the committee that recommended Code Pink, said, “Hospitals will need a few mock drills to implement it effectively. Nurses, doctors, and even security staff need to be trained for it. We have already started.”Additional security measures include installing sensor-based doors at ward entrances and activating a panic alarm system. DMER director Dr Ajay Chandanwale remained unavailable for a comment.
