New Delhi|HL
The medical fraternity won the battle against the violence as the Central government took initiative. The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry have constituted a committee to discuss the proposal to frame a new law on the issue of violence against doctors.
The ministry has set up a 10-member committee to look into the matter. The members include representatives from the Central Ministry, DDG, Indian Medical Association, Federation of Resident Doctors Association, Medical Council of India, Medical Superintendents of AIIMS, Ram Manohar Lohia, Department of Legal Affairs and Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The Principal Secretaries from Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra will also be the members. The committee will hold its first meeting tomorrow on July 10.
The demand for a separate law to deal with violence against doctors at their workplace has been a long-standing one. However, it was foregrounded during the recent protests by doctors, triggered by an incident of assault against a junior resident doctor in West Bengal.
The Indian Medical Association, an influential body of doctors that boasts a membership of 3.5 lakh doctors, that has been at the forefront of the demands for a separate legislation for violence against doctors, has argued that a “comprehensive, Central law” would serve as a deterrent against such violence, provide for adequate security for doctors and address the root cause of such incidents of violence.
Such a law would not only prohibit violence but also allow for compensation to the hospital and penalty for “improper investigations”.
Last month, after the strike by doctors across the country, was called off, the IMA had promised to keep up the pressure on the government and ensure that such a law was passed by the Parliament.
At the height of the doctors’ agitation in June, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had written to the chief ministers of all states to consider enacting a specific legislation for protecting doctors and medical professionals, and sent them a copy of the draft law—The Protection of Medical Service Persons and Medical Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss of Property) Act, 2017. He had also asked them to enforce the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code with vigour in states where such a law was not present and take strict action in case of assault against a doctor.
“The current draft of deals only with the punishment part of it, where the person who assaults a doctor can be punished with seven years of imprisonment, and the offence is a non-bailable one. Several states such as West Bengal, Delhi, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Chhattisgarh, have enacted similar laws to protect medical professionals.
