Patiala, Aug. 27 -- Amid reports of violence and vandalism at health facilities, Punjab government hospitals will soon have security guards to ensure the safety of patients and medical staff. It has been learnt that such a proposal of the health department has been given a go ahead by the finance department, which had earlier raised the objections. Confirming the development, a senior health official, pleading anonymity, said, "It was a commitment to provide a safe working environment to healthcare professionals. The finance department has already given approval. In the coming weeks, district and sub-divisional hospitals will have security guards." In the first phase, 23 district and 42 sub-divisional hospitals will receive over 500 security guards from the Punjab Ex-Servicemen Corporation (PESCO). It is not yet clear when the deployment process will begin. In 2024-25 alone, around 74 incidents of violence at health facilities have surfaced. Many community health centres (CHCs), civil hospitals and district hospitals are operating without even a single security guard. Female doctors are often left vulnerable, performing night duties in rural areas without adequate security personnel. In the absence of security guards, male ward attendants are being deployed for night duty The deployment of security guards was the foremost demand of the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association - which had gone on strike last year. The association had recently threatened to go on strike again....