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Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has triggered a debate over the need for framing laws for the protection of healthcare professionals, especially the doctors. Addressing the Annual Conference of the Delhi State Medical Association recently, Atishi pledged her government's unwavering support for doctors and healthcare professionals, and announced that the Delhi government may introduce a "Doctors Protection Act" to combat rising violence against medical staff, should the need arise. Violence against healthcare workers at the workplace is not new in India. In 1973, Aruna Shanbaug working as a junior nurse at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, was sexually assaulted by a hospital sweeper. She died in 2015 after spending over 41 years in a vegetative state following the attack. Recently, Dr Archana Sharma, a doctor who was booked for allegedly causing the death of a pregnant woman at a private facility in Rajasthan’s Dausa district, committed suicide. Her death has come as a shock to the medical and non-medical fraternity of the country. The incident triggered a debate about the need to create a peaceful ambience in the healthcare institutions in the country. Dr Archana Sharma’s case is not an occasional case. In fact, there have been several such cases in the past also where the doctors and other medical professionals have been bearing the brunt in the absence of stricter laws to prevent violence against doctors and other healthcare workers. More recently, there is the case of rape and murder of a young doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 last year.
Of course, safety and security in hospitals have been a matter of great concern in the country. There have been reports of intermittent violence against the medical fraternity by the relatives of the patients in different parts of the country. There have also been reports of violence against medical fraternity by the hospital stall also. All these happens because of lack of laws to act as a deterrent. When a patient dies, his family members and friends sometimes may get charged up as they come to the conclusion that the death has been occurred due to the negligence of the doctors and other healthcare professionals. But, whatever might be the reason for the death, the relatives and the friends of the patients have no right to give vent to their ire and emotions on doctors and other healthcare professionals. Such violence will only further vitiate the atmosphere in hospitals which are crumbling like a house of cards due to overcrowding. It is a fact that the doctors, especially in government hospitals, work under tremendous pressure as the doctor-patient ratio in the country has been steadily shooting up. In such a background, there should be some mechanism to prevent attacks on doctors and other healthcare professionals by the angry family members of patients. There is a need to improve the working conditions in our hospitals. Violence against healthcare workers is a global issue, but several countries have implemented effective measures to protect their medical professionals, setting examples that India could follow. The UK’s NHS enforces a zero-tolerance policy on violence, supported by a dedicated security team and a comprehensive reporting system. In the US, some States classify assaults on healthcare workers as felonies, acting as a strong deterrent. Australian hospitals have introduced safety measures like security personnel, panic buttons, and mandatory de-escalation training. India must urgently introduce a Central Protection Act and adopt similar measures to take stringent actions to ensure a safer environment for its healthcare workers. The Delhi Chief Minister has set the ball rolling. The Central government should now seriously think of bringing a comprehensive central law to check violence against doctors and other healthcare professionals in our hospitals.
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