Punjab govt plans to install body cameras for hospital staff

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has decided to introduce body cameras for non-doctor medical staff in government hospitals following public complaints about staff behavior and alleged negligence.

According to officials, body cameras will be installed on ward boys, security guards, pharmacy staff and other medical workers to monitor their conduct and improve discipline inside hospitals. The decision was taken after repeated reports of poor treatment of patients and incidents of fights and violence in hospital premises.

Hospitals in Punjab have frequently witnessed clashes between patients’ attendants and medical staff, raising serious concerns about safety and service delivery.

However, the move has sparked strong criticism from government officials and healthcare workers. Many have expressed concern that the decision was made without proper consultation and could seriously affect patients’ privacy, especially in sensitive areas such as emergency wards, labor rooms and diagnostic sections.

President of the Young Doctors Association Punjab, Dr Shoaib Khan Niazi, said the policy was rushed and poorly planned. He argued that no country in the world uses body cameras on healthcare professionals because of privacy issues. “Patients’ private body parts are exposed during medical procedures. Recording such moments is a serious violation of privacy,” he said.

Dr Niazi added that hospital problems cannot be solved through surveillance alone. He stressed that senior officials and bureaucrats rarely visit hospitals to understand ground realities and instead rely on complaints without proper investigation.

He also pointed out shortages of staff, beds and medicines as the real reasons behind public frustration. “Doctors and staff are already overburdened. Monitoring them like robots will not fix the system,” he said.

While the Punjab government believes body cameras will bring transparency, critics warn the policy may backfire and create more problems than solutions. For now, healthcare workers say they will adopt a “wait and watch” approach as the policy begins as a pilot project.