Healthcare professionals and hospital staff across Punjab have raised strong concerns over the Punjab government’s move to mandate body cams for hospital staff, warning that the decision was made without stakeholder consultation and risks violating patients’ privacy and dignity.
The policy was announced on Friday by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who said body cameras would be made compulsory for nurses, ward attendants, security guards and pharmacy staff excluding doctors – following complaints about the conduct of staff and negligence in public hospitals.
Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) President Dr Izhar Ahmed Chaudhry termed the decision “ill-conceived” and warned that it could backfire.
“This is unbelievable. If at all this is decided and practically applied, it will not be a useful technique to improve the health delivery system,” he told a private media outlet. “It will bounce back and give a bad name to the government.”
Dr Chaudhry said the government had failed to consult any relevant forum before announcing the policy, calling it “illogical, impractical and insane,” and argued that it infringed upon the fundamental rights of both patients and healthcare professionals.
“It violates essential privacy of patients and professional liberty and confidentiality of the health professionals during treatment, which is mandatory and cannot be violated under the law,” he added.
He further alleged that the authorities were deliberately making working environments more hostile, adding that the decision appeared to be part of a broader effort to sell out the health institutions and deliberately make the working conditions miserable with each passing day.
The Young Doctors Association (YDA) Punjab also criticised the announcement, with its president Dr Shoaib Niazi saying the organisation had not been consulted.
“I was not consulted at all. This decision came from the higher-ups, and it’s a useless act,” he said, pointing out that similar directives such as restrictions on mobile phone use during duty hours had previously been issued but were never enforced.
Dr Niazi expressed concern that constant recording would compromise patient confidentiality, particularly in sensitive hospital areas.
“This move will compromise patient privacy and confidentiality, for example, in the gynaecology and labour wards. Moreover, the footage will go to the IT department, and anyone can access it without patients’ consent,” he pointed out.
He also questioned the feasibility of the plan, citing existing financial constraints within public hospitals.
“The security guards have not been paid salaries for the last three months in Mayo Hospital. How will the government provide bodycams? How will they implement such a structure? Where will the money come from?” he asked.
Dr Niazi added that the presence of cameras would discourage honest professional judgement and feared the policy could eventually be extended to doctors as well. He said the YDA Punjab President will soon hold a press conference to address the issue in detail.
Nurses and allied health workers have echoed similar concerns. Muqaddas Tasneem, a member of the Punjab Young Nurses Association and a staffer at Children’s Hospital Lahore, said nurses, despite being key stakeholders, were excluded from the decision-making process.
“The govt didn’t consult us at all and decided on its own. However, we have to follow the orders and act upon the directions,” she said.
Junaid Tariq, president of Allied Health Sciences at Lahore General Hospital, said ward staff and other allied workers were neither informed nor consulted.
“We are unable to understand the purpose of this order. It fits in with the responsibilities of security guards, but it will compromise the privacy of patients. It will compromise the confidentiality of patients’ medical records. The nature of our work does not relate to security,” he opined.
Former Punjab caretaker minister for health Dr Javed Akram also questioned the practicality of the proposal, saying he was unaware of any formal plan.
“It was not possible that something like this will happen, as it was inconceivable. How will they do it to so many people?” he asked.
Dr Akram raised logistical concerns, particularly regarding monitoring and implementation. “How will they watch or analyse those (healthcare officials) with bodycams? What if the employees with cams have to go to the restrooms? Will they take the cam off each time?”