Hospital gets pub bouncer to 'mind' docs

Narender Singh is 6 feet and 2 inches tall. His black T-shirt stretches across his broad shoulders and firm biceps. 'Ironman' printed on the T-shirt back seems more a description of Singh, than the name of the company he works for.

Singh is a bouncer who till a few weeks ago used to work for city pubs, but now walks the corridors of the Noida District Hospital. He is among the 12 bouncers hired by the hospital to deal with unruly kin of patients, prevent destruction of hospital property and protect doctors.

Hospital authorities said the need for hiring Ironman arose after several instances of aggrieved relatives manhandling the staff of the hospital.

"This is the only government hospital in the city, so nearly everyone comes here. There are so many cases that the doctors have to deal with everyday, and sometimes there are issues of delay in treatment and other problems. We have now been hiring doctors to plug these gaps, but there have been an increasing number of cases of patients and their family members creating ruckus in the hospital," said Meena Mishra, Chief Medical Officer of the hospital.

Mishra said that last month a family assaulted doctors and damaged hospital property after a patient died. "The bouncers have been brought in to prevent issues like these," she said.

Officials said the bouncers will keep an eye on visitors and conduct regular rounds of the hospital to ensure order.

"Several people enter the hospital though they have no work inside. Also, we have to ensure that rules — such as visiting hours and the number of people allowed inside a patient's room — are followed. The bouncers and the security guards will ensure that the rules are enforced," an official said.

For the bouncers, the change in the work environment means dealing with people with "greater sensitivity".

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