SEVENTY-FIVE closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras out of the 125 installed at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H) are non-functional. Moreover, of these 50 functional cameras, many are fixed in such a way that they capture footage of walls and not the movement of people. These lacunae in the CCTV surveillance system came to fore when the City Police conducted a security review of Asia’s biggest government hospital. GMC&H is one of the most crowded places in the city. Therefore, security of the hospital is always on the top priority of the police force.

 

“The purpose of installing 125 cameras at all entry and exit points and premises of the hospital was to keep tab on the anti-socials entering and exiting the hospital,” a top-ranked police official told ‘The Hitavada’. However, the cameras have failed to serve the purpose as more than 75 have become non-functional over the years. The lacuna in camera system came to fore during the review of security of the hospital that was conducted after an accused escaped from the hospital last week. According to the official, three different agencies maintain three different sections of the cameras. Making the matter worse, the live- feed of cameras is not available at one place. One has to visit three separate rooms at different locations to check feeds of different CCTV cameras, the official added.

 

The police team has asked the GMC&H administration to make the cameras functional immediately and form a single live feed monitoring centre. When asked, Dr Sudhir Gupta, Dean of GMC&H, informed ‘The Hitavada’ that a request for procurement of new 60 CCTV cameras was pending with the government. “Similarly, the number of the security guards deployed at the hospital will be increased soon. Both proposals have been sent to the government for approval,” Dr. Gupta said, adding that a separate room would be given for establishing a control room of cameras.