India needs stringent laws to protect doctors: IMA

The IMA has said that in the last one week at least four incidents of attacks on doctors took place in four different states including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

New Delhi: As states across India have been witnessing an unabated violence against doctors and health care workers, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to enact a strong law to protect the medical fraternity.

The IMA was referring to the gruesome incident in Assam’s Hojai district where Dr Seuj Kumar Senapati was attacked by an irate mob at a Covid Care Centre on Tuesday.

“Doctors and healthcare staff are finding it difficult to work under the stress of violence. Healthcare Violence has become an alarming phenomenon across the country. The real size of the problem is largely unknown and recent information shows that the current knowledge is only the tip of the iceberg,” said IMA president Dr JA Jayalal.

He said that in the last one week at least four incidents of attacks on doctors took place in four different states including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

Read: Many arrested after attack on doctor in Assam

“India needs a comprehensive, uniform & effective law against healthcare violence. We request you to kindly approve an effective & strong act against healthcare violence. Medical profession being different from the rest of the professions, it becomes necessary to have a strong act against violence specifically for the healthcare professionals and workers,” said Dr Jayalal in his letter written to Home Minister Shah.

Such incidents raised eyebrows of a cross section in the society following the fact that the government last year had enacted Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, to protect the healthcare workers.

Dr Jayalal, however, said that the law had several loopholes.

He said that the law should be so strong that the culprit does not get bail after doing such a ghastly act. “We want a law which will have IPC provision and there should be non-bailable cases against the culprits. We also want that the officer who will be assigned to investigate an incident should do his or her investigation within a limited time frame,” Dr Jayalal said.

He also said that hospital or healthcare premises should be declared as a secured zone so that the local police will be responsible if any violent incident takes place against healthcare professionals.

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Interestingly, a Parliamentary Committee on health and family welfare has suggested that there should be compulsory posting of doctors passing MBBS in the rural areas for three years. The committee headed by MP Ram Gopal Yadav also said that practitioners violating the rule may be de-registered and prohibited from undergoing medical practices for the de-registered period.

The committee gave the suggestion while referring to the problem of adequate human resources at the rural health and wellness centre.

“We are always serving in the rural areas and we will continue to do so. But where is our safety and who will take care of our life and safety,” said Dr Jayalal.

Talking to the correspondent, Dr Amit Malviya, a member of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA-AIIMS) echoed that there is an immediate need for a central law to protect doctors and health care workers.

“In a survey we have found that at least 75 percent of doctors face different forms of violence while performing duty. Many state governments have enacted laws, but we need a strong central law which should be implemented across India,” said Dr Malviya.

Taking into serious account the assault on doctors in Assam, RDA-AIIMS has urged Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take strict action against the perpetrators according to the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 and prevention of any such incidents in future.

The state government apprehended 24 people in this connection.

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