The recent attack on junior doctors at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata has yet again highlighted the vulnerability of medical professionals despite the laws to protect them. The attack has provoked doctors to go on a nationwide protest on Monday.
In Karnataka, although the State government has enacted the Karnataka Prohibition of Violence against Medicare Service Personnel and Damage to Property in Medicare Service Institutions Act in 2009, its implementation is poor. Doctors said the Act remains only on paper.
This is mainly because the police are reluctant to book attacks on doctors under the Act on the grounds that it is a State Act.
This is despite a direction regarding the implementation of the Act issued to all police stations during former Home Minister G. Parameshwara’s tenure, said T.A. Veerabhadraiah, member of the Karnataka Medical Council.
Ravindra H.N., former president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) Karnataka chapter, pointed out that “the Act had become toothless due to a Supreme Court ruling that does not consider an offence with a three-year imprisonment clause as non-bailable”.
“The three-year imprisonment clause should be amended and replaced with at least seven years of imprisonment. Even if some violators are arrested, they are not worried as they can get bail easily,” he said.
Citing multiple instances of attacks on doctors, Dr. Ravindra recalled incidents where Ananthkumar Hegde, Uttara Kannada BJP MP, and Vinay Kulkarni, former Congress MLA, had allegedly violated the Act. “This has demoralised the medical fraternity, which has become a soft target for hooligans. Such attacks, if allowed to continue unchecked, can have serious repercussions on patient care. This is why our doctors are reluctant to serve in rural areas,” he said.
A survey by IMA had revealed that nearly 75% of doctors in India have faced some form of violence or threat of violence at some point in their careers. In several States, doctors have frequently gone on strike demanding stringent punishment for those who resort to violence.
Asserting that violence against doctors is unacceptable and needs to be condemned, K.K. Aggarwal, former national president of IMA, said there is an urgent need to legislate a Central Act on prevention of violence against doctors. The Union government had constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee, which had promised to enact a Central Act. However, this is yet to happen. “It’s time that the medical profession unites and stands firm till the government brings a Bill for violence against doctors in the coming Parliament session,” he added.
Directive to government doctors
In the wake of the nationwide strike call, Health Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey has directed all District Health Officers and District Surgeons to ensure that government hospitals functioned with full staff strength.
In a circular issued on Saturday, the Commissioner directed them to cancel leaves applied by hospital staff and also recall those on deputation and training.
