New Delhi: As India observed National Doctor's Day on Saturday, renowned medical practitioners in the country have called for stopping atrocities and violence against doctors.
National Doctor's Day is celebrated on 1 July every year in India to recognise the contributions of doctors and medical professionals towards society. This year's theme for National Doctor's Day is “Celebrating Resilience and Healing Hands".
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr DK Sharma, medical superintendent of All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), said doctors try their best to save people's lives however they should not be treated as either gods or villains. "We are health professionals and we always try to do our best. Doctors should not be blamed for any eventuality, because we always try our best to save human lives," said Dr Sharma.
"From the doctors' side, there should be ethical medical practice with proper communication with patients whereas the community should also stop treating doctors as god or villain," he said. Emphasising that a strong law should be implemented to protect doctors from violence, Dr Sharma said that there should be proper doctor-community communication.
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As per a study conducted by Indian Medical Association (IMA), 75 percent of doctors in India face violence at some point of time in their careers. "Every day is Doctors Day. People should respect doctors because we always try to save lives. In fact, the government should also take strong actions when an attack takes place on doctors," said Dr Sudhir Gupta, head of the forensic sciences department at AIIMS.
Echoing the view, assistant professor Dr Dinesh Gora from Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Medical College (SMS Medical College) said that in most cases doctors are being attacked by the attendants. "People should understand the value of doctors. We are also human beings. Many a time we work more than 12 hours continuously. So, when we are being attacked by people, it demoralises us," Dr Gora said.
The government of India notified the Epidemic Disease (Amendment) Act, 2020 as a strong deterrent to prevent attack on doctors. Notified on September 28, 2020, the Act says that any act of violence against healthcare personnel during any situation would come under cognizable and non-bailable offences.
It further said that commission or abetment of such acts of violence or damage or loss to any property shall be punishable with a term of three months to five years, and with a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,00,000. The Act further said that in case of causing grievous hurt, imprisonment shall be for six months to seven years and a fine of Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 5,00,000.
"There are laws, but implementation is a challenge. In Covid times, society understood the value of healthcare professionals including doctors. That must be retained. Law alone cannot solve the problem," said Dr Tamorish Kole, a renowned medical practitioner and past president of the Asian Society for Emergency Medicine.
Former director of AIIMS Dr Randeep Guleria said that people should realise the value of doctors. "Especially during the pandemic, people have seen how doctors worked to save human lives. The doctors should continue to get proper respect and value from people as it is necessary to uphold the spirit of healthcare professionals," said Dr Guleria who is presently working as the chairman of the Institute of Internal Medicine and Respiratory and Sleep Medicine and Director Medical Education at Medanta.
Since health is a State subject, the Government of India keeps issuing advisories to the States and Union Territories (UTs) to prevent violence against doctors and for inculcating an effective sense of security among the doctors on duty. "The Central government has enacted the Act, but its proper implementation by the State and UTs is very much necessary," added Dr Gora.
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