The Punjab government has ordered the integration of CCTV surveillance systems installed in public hospitals with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, aiming to strengthen security, protect healthcare workers, and improve emergency response across government run medical facilities. Under the directive, all cameras operating in emergency departments and outpatient departments of hospitals managed by the Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department will now be directly linked to PSCA’s integrated command, control, and communications network, enabling real time monitoring from the authority’s central control rooms.
The move builds on PSCA’s existing digital surveillance infrastructure, which already includes thousands of high resolution cameras deployed across major urban centres such as Lahore to support law enforcement operations, traffic management, rapid emergency coordination, and evidence gathering. By extending this network into public hospitals, authorities aim to create a unified security framework covering some of the province’s most crowded and sensitive public spaces, where incidents of violence, theft, and operational disruptions have increasingly raised concerns. Officials say real time access to live video feeds will allow faster intervention in emergencies and better situational awareness for both hospital administrations and security agencies.
A formal notification has been issued instructing vice chancellors of medical universities, principals, deans, executive directors, heads of institutions, and medical superintendents across teaching hospitals, medical colleges, specialised centres, nursing colleges, and allied health facilities to ensure immediate compliance. Hospital administrations have also been directed to extend full cooperation to PSCA technical teams arriving from Lahore to carry out system integration, testing, and network alignment. In facilities where existing CCTV infrastructure does not provide adequate coverage, additional cameras will be installed to ensure comprehensive monitoring of high traffic areas, particularly emergency wards and OPDs where security risks are often higher.
Officials linked the initiative to Punjab’s broader safe cities programme, which has steadily expanded the use of digital surveillance, data integration, and smart monitoring tools to improve public safety and crisis management. Beyond preventing violence against doctors, nurses, and support staff, the connected system is expected to deter theft or misuse of medical equipment, protect hospital property, and create reliable digital records that can assist in investigations when incidents occur. Authorities described the policy as a proactive technology driven step to modernise security standards in public healthcare institutions, noting that implementation will begin immediately with close coordination between PSCA teams and hospital management to complete the integration process efficiently across the province.
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