New Delhi, Sep 8 (TIWN): The Supreme Court on Monday said the state and the Central governments cannot provide security to private hospitals and nursing homes, which operate like business enterprises, during the hearing of a plea seeking directions to provide security to doctors and healthcare workers, vulnerable to attacks by patients' relatives and others.

A bench of Justices S.K. Kaul and A.S. Oka said the private hospitals charge exorbitantly and they can take care of security issues on their own, and questioned the petitioner's counsel, how will government provide security for so many private hospitals and nursing homes?  Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, representing the Delhi Medical Association, said the doctors and healthcare workers are vulnerable to attacks and emphasised on having a mechanism for their security.