Amid ongoing protests across the country against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the proposed all-India National Register of Citizens, a group of medical professionals, healthcare workers and health activists raised concerns on the use of excessive force by the police and their attempts to interfere with the provision of immediate medical assistance to injured persons.
The group, led by Gopal Dabade, president, All-India Drug Action Forum, Karnataka unit, and L eena Menghane y, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, has started a signature campaign. Top doctors from across the country are endorsing it.
“According to the testimonies of injured protesters, the police interfered with their right to medical assistance, including taking injured students from the hospital to the police station before their medical needs were addressed. In fact, in some cases, the police also attacked hospitals where injured persons were admitted. CCTV footage from Highland Hospital in Mangaluru showed two police personnel rushing through a corridor and trying to open a door in a ward by kicking it down using lathis and shields,” the campaign statement says. “When police enter hospitals and emergency departments, it can have a detrimental effect on patient care. It is unfortunate to see law enforcement agencies not only stopping people from accessing medical care, but also forcefully entering hospitals. This has raised concerns that in the future, protesters requiring medical care might avoid the hospital system for fear of arrest.”
The group has also condemned some of the medical personnel at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, who allegedly taunted injured students and called them ‘anti-national’. “If true, it is unfortunate that the physicians failed to uphold the standards of medical ethics when dealing with their patients,” the statement says.
Appealing to the police to actively support the medical community and allow the injured unhindered access to medical treatment, the group urged the government and courts to independently and impartially investigate the allegations against the police.
Whom to call for help
Like-minded doctors and health activists have come together to start an online link to a crowd-sourced list of medical professionals for injured protesters to call during times of emergency. Doctors across the country, who wish to join the list, can do so by visiting https://forms.gle/ 72ugUr FC13sdMSMA6.
