DELHI: Medicos in the country, agitating for a separate legislation to protect healthcare workers from violence through an ordinance, found robust support on Sunday when over 70 Padma awardee doctors wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi echoing their demand.
The doctors are calling for the swift enactment of a special law to address violence against healthcare personnel and the implementation of improved safety protocols in medical facilities.
They suggested that the Centre issue an ordinance immediately to ensure the "harshest possible punishment" for individuals who engage in violence against healthcare workers, whether verbal or physical.
Among those who signed the letter are former Director General of ICMR Dr. Balram Bhargav, former AIIMS Delhi Director Dr. Randeep Guleria, Dr. S.K. Sarin, Director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, and Dr. A.K. Bhalla, Honorary Secretary of the Board of Management at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
The doctors expressed "deep concern and profound anguish" over the recent horrific event at R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
"We stand in unwavering solidarity with the victim's family, whose pain and loss are unimaginable. We also extend our full support to the medical community, who are increasingly confronting such violence in the course of their work. The safety and dignity of healthcare professionals must be safeguarded with utmost priority," the letter said.
The doctors emphasised that stronger measures are urgently needed to prevent such atrocities.
"We call upon law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and society at large to take immediate and decisive action," the letter added.
They urged law enforcement agencies to more rigorously apply existing legal frameworks to protect healthcare professionals and advocated for severe and swift penalties to deter such crimes.
"We urge the central and state governments to quickly enact and implement a separate law for the protection of healthcare workers, ensuring its rapid enforcement on the ground. A proposed bill, The Prevention of Violence Against Doctors, Medical Professionals and Medical Institutions Bill, has been ready since 2019 but has not yet been tabled in Parliament for passage and adoption. We strongly believe that an ordinance to this effect can be brought immediately, and the bill should be passed post-haste so that all those working in healthcare delivery systems in the country can work without fear, in service of suffering patients," the letter concluded.