The Kerala Human Rights Commission (KHRC) on Saturday directed the state government to issue guidelines enabling medical officers on VIP duty to work without pressure.
Chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas said the guidelines should incorporate recommendations submitted by the police Special Branch to the panel. The direction was issued to the Public Administration (Political) and Health Departments following a complaint by the Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA), which alleged human rights violations faced by doctors assigned to VIP duty.
Roster, accommodation and equipment mandated
The Commission ordered immediate implementation of Special Branch recommendations. These include requiring District Medical Officers (DMOs) to prepare a monthly roster for VIP duty, ensuring at least five doctors are available each day. The panel said such a system would allow doctors to perform their regular responsibilities without disruption.
It also directed that accommodation for medical officers and health staff be arranged near locations where VIPs are housed. District collectors were made responsible for accommodation and food arrangements. The Commission further recommended procuring ambulances with modern facilities, including refrigeration systems, for VIP duty, with the District Administrative Officer (DAO) taking direct responsibility.
The government should also consider preparing, with National Health Mission (NHM) assistance, a district-wise list of medical officers for VIP duty.
Complaint cites violations and seeks policy revision
In its complaint, KGMOA state president Dr T N Suresh and general secretary Dr P K Sunil urged revision of the Public Administration Department's government order on VIP duty to incorporate Special Branch recommendations, the Commission noted.
Doctors on VIP duty in Kerala are grappling with systemic and logistical failures that have turned routine assignments into a source of significant harassment, associations said.
What are the allegations raised by doctors' associations
District police heads are frequently bypassing established protocol by issuing direct orders to medical officers instead of routing them through the General Administration Department (GAD) and district collectors. Doctors are often summoned through last-minute verbal instructions rather than written orders, leaving reporting lines and assignment details unclear.
Medical teams are routinely denied basic necessities such as food, water and proper accommodation. In several instances, doctors, including female medical officers, have been forced to sleep inside ambulances. Under security restrictions, some are not allowed to leave vehicles while waiting for hours in high heat at airports or naval bases. There are reports of a lady doctor fainting due to heat and exhaustion while on standby.
Assignments also pull senior doctors and specialists away from primary duties without warning, leading to cancelled surgeries and understaffed outpatient and emergency units. Associations also flagged tasks viewed as wasteful, including modern medicine doctors being ordered to escort VIPs between blocks within the same Ayurveda hospital.