Even as doctors intensified the agitation over their safety after a young medico was killed by her drug addict patient, the Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the state police chief to “ensure that security is provided to all hospitals in the manner as is legally possible so as to prevent any further incidents of attack”.

A special bench of Justices Devan Ramachandran and Kauser Edappagath said the death of 23-year-old Vandana Das while she treating her killer was the outcome of a “systemic failure” and “cannot be brushed aside as an isolated incident”.