The Indian Medical Association (IMA) reacting to the Health Ministry’s proposed draft Bill which states that anyone who attacks a doctor at a hospital may be jailed for up to 10 years or fined ₹10 lakh said that laws are needed but this is not enough.

The Ministry has asked for feedback from the public about improving the draft Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019, that was made public earlier in this week. The Association said that violence on doctors and hospitals is a complex phenomenon and will need multidimensional institutional response. A law for restriction alone might not have the desired impact.

Dr. R.V. Asokan of the IMA said that they have requested the government to declare hospitals as safe zones with structured security. It should also consider opinion that inadequacies of infrastructure and human resources in public sector and out of pocket expenditure in the private sector are the root causes of violence.

He also said high expectations, lack of understanding of limitations, patient load, and lack of professional counselling are all contributing factors and such factors of violence have to be addressed carefully. Other doctors also said that lack of infrastructure and inadequate allocation of budget towards health, stagnation of recruitment and exponential deterioration of the health delivery system has created this situation.

A senior government doctor in Delhi said that shortage of doctors is a hard truth and both patients and doctors are suffering. There are no short-cuts but to invest in the health care system and fill the existing vacancies.

Dr. Manoj Luthra, CEO, Jaypee Hospital, Noida said doctors understand the value of our profession and families’ emotions and do their best to save lives; at timeseven put their personal lives at stake for the sake of their profession. But the same level of basic understanding should also come from the patient’s family too. They should understand that it is not entirely in their hands to save lives and can only give the best treatment to the patients. Cases where doctors are being killed or lynched are very unfortunate. As the provision of this draft, it is appreciable as it will ensure at least a basic sense of security for the dedicated working doctors.

Dr. Anand Bansal, medical director, Action Group of Hospitals, said that they are also equal citizens and do their job. There are police and administration to act, if anybody goes beyond law and one should always approach them in case of grievance, instead of ruining law and order.

In the meantime, the IMA has written to the Prime Minister stating that the safety and security of the hospitals have to be guaranteed in the interest of the patients.

The IMA has been engaging the Central Government on this issue through an Inter Ministerial Committee right from 2015. It is not always possible to provide quality treatment to the public in an atmosphere of fear and violence. Violence in the hospitals will only increase the miseries of the suffering patients.