IMA again demands central law on violence against doctors, hospitals

New Delhi: The IMA has written to the National Task Force (NTF), which has been mandated to formulate protocol for ensuring safety and security of healthcare 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 evolve a national consensus and to formulate protocols with due consultation of all stakeholders, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in its letter formulated its submission in three sections.

The NTF has constituted the apex court in the wake of protests by doctors and healthcare professionals following the recent rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Firstly, putting forth its demand and justification for a central act on violence against doctors and hospitals, the IMA submitted its study 'Safety During Night Duty: Survey of 3885 Doctors Across India", its draft proposal for Central Act, draft legislation - "The Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of violence and damage to property) Bill, 2019", the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Act September 2020 among others as annexures.

Justifying the demand for a central act, the IMA in its letter said that healthcare facilities vary in nature both infrastructure-wise and human resources-wise.

"The only preventive strategy that could be applied across the board and across all the states is deterrent central law in statute. Absence of such law has resulted in half-hearted actions by the police and less than optimum investigations and prosecution of the incidence," it said.

Reasoning that deterrence is the best form of prevention, the IMA said that, unlike other measures, a strong central law will prevent violence across all sectors, especially the small and medium ones. It will serve as an enabling Act to the state legislation.

Secondly, for its demand for declaring hospitals as safe zones, the IMA said the concept of safe zones could be embedded in the proposed law as well.

"Declaration as a safe zone entitles the hospitals with security entitlements. These security entitlements however should be tempered with patient friendly nature and cultural sensitivity," it said.

Third, it demanded improving the working and living conditions of the resident doctors.

Ever since the resident system was created, administrative and judiciary pronouncements have been made. "Yet few things have changed on the ground," it said.

"We the medical profession of India expect the National Task Force to live up to our expectations and instil confidence into the minds of the demoralised doctor community," the doctors' body said in the letter.

The IMA also stated that it is the national organisation of modern medicine doctors established in 1928 which played a part in the freedom struggle of the country and has its headquarters in New Delhi.

It has a presence in almost all the districts of the country with 1,800 local branches, 28 state branches and 3,85,000 members. In addition, IMA has a presence in all the medical colleges of the country through its Junior Doctors Network and Medical Students Network, the letter mentioned.

The entire medical fraternity of India heeded the call of IMA by withdrawing all services except emergencies and casualties on August 17, it mentioned.