Attacks on doctors: Onus on HoDs to file plaints
NEW DELHI: Doctors working at government-run hospitals can now breathe easy as their Head of Departments (HoD) will now be accountable for promptly registering the cases of violence involving patients and their kin.
In a letter, Delhi health secretary Sanjeev Khirwar wrote to all the HoDs of hospitals and medical institutes that in case of any incident involving abuse or violence by the patients or their attendants, an FIR is required to be filled by the hospital immediately.
“In no case, the individual doctor, paramedical, nursing or administrative staff should be asked to lodge the FIR with the police. It will be incumbent on the medical superintendent or the director of the institution to ensure that an FIR is lodged in such cases promptly by the hospital or institution concerned rather than insisting on the hospital staff to lodge the FIR,” the letter read.
“It was an effort taken up by the Delhi Medical Association. This should have been done much before, but better late than never. It is a welcome decision for the doctors,” Dr Kishore Singh, MD, LNJP Hospital said.
A doctor from the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital welcomed the decision, saying that it is a big relief for medical practitioners. “Harassment by patients often takes violent shape. The decision is a great step to ensure our dignity, especially for those who are at night shifts,” said the doctor.
The Delhi government has various hospital under its administration, including the LNJP Hospital, the GB Pant Hospital, the BSA Hospital, the DDU Hospital and the GTB Hospital.