Earlier on Saturday, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had appealed to the Prime Minister, calling for a central law to protect healthcare workers from violence. They also urged for the enhancement of hospital security protocols to match the level of security found at airports.
More than 70 Padma award-winning doctors have called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action in securing justice for a young doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata. They are advocating for tougher laws and faster enforcement to safeguard healthcare professionals, stressing the urgent need for legislation specifically targeting violence against medical staff—a proposal that has been stalled since 2019.
The Padma awardee doctors’ letter to the PM states: “As the head of our nation, we implore your immediate and personal intervention to address this alarming situation. Such acts of brutality shake the very foundations of service by medical professionals and highlight the urgent need to address violence, particularly against women, girls, and healthcare professionals.”
The letter, signed by Padma award-winning doctors including radiologist Dr. Harsh Mahajan, former AIIMS director Dr. Randeep Guleria, ex-ICMR director general Dr. Balram Bhargava, and neurologist Dr. M. V. Padma Srivastava, among others, proposes several measures. These include stricter enforcement of existing legal protections for healthcare professionals, harsher and time-bound penalties for those convicted of sexual violence, and improved safety protocols in hospitals and medical institutions.
The letter further adds that “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.”
