He THERE IS has written to the National Task Force (NTF), which is mandated to formulate a protocol to ensure the safety of health professionals, again demanding a central law on violence against doctors and hospitals and declaring hospitals as safe zones.
Stating that the Supreme Court has constituted the NTF to develop a national consensus and formulate protocols with due consultation with all stakeholders, the Indian Medical Association (THERE IS) in his letter he formulated his argument in three sections.
The NTF was constituted as the supreme court following protests by doctors and health professionals following the recent rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Firstly, by setting out their demand and justification for a central law on violence against doctors and hospitals, the THERE IS submitted its study ‘Safety during night duty: Survey of 3885 doctors across India’, its draft Central Bill – ‘Health Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019’, the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Act, September 2020 among others as annexures.
To justify the demand for a central act, the THERE IS Your letter says that healthcare facilities vary in nature, both in terms of infrastructure and human resources.
“The only preventative strategy that could be implemented in all states is a centralized deterrent law. The absence of such a law has resulted in half-hearted police action and sub-optimal investigations and prosecutions of incidents,” he said.
Reasoning that deterrence is the best form of prevention, THERE IS He said that unlike other measures, a strong central law will prevent violence in all sectors, especially in small and medium-sized ones. It will serve as an enabling law for state legislation.
Secondly, by its demand to declare hospitals as safe zones, the THERE IS He said the concept of safe zones could also be incorporated into the proposed law.
“The safe zone declaration grants hospitals security rights. However, these security rights must be tempered with respect for the patient and cultural sensitivity,” he said.
Thirdly, he demanded that the living and working conditions of resident doctors be improved.
Since the residency system was created, there have been administrative and judicial rulings, “but in practice few things have changed,” he says.
“We, the medical profession of India, hope that the National Task Force will live up to our expectations and instil confidence in the minds of the demoralised medical community,” the doctors’ body said in the letter.
He THERE IS He also stated that it is the national organisation of modern medicine doctors established in 1928 which participated in the country’s freedom struggle and has its headquarters in New Delhi.
It has a presence in almost all districts of the country with 1,800 local branches, 28 state branches and 385,000 members. In addition, THERE IS The letter states that the National Institute of Health has a presence in all medical schools in the country through its Young Doctors Network and Medical Students Network.
The entire medical fraternity of India heeded the call of THERE IS with the withdrawal of all services except emergency and urgent care services on August 17, he said.
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