‘Police should stay neutral and not take sides’

PUNE: Doctors are one of the most important sections of a healthy society. Pune city is blessed to have state-of-the-art hospitals and high quality medical professionals. But the city is not an exception to the increasing attacks on doctors, which has plagued the country and the State. In such a scenario, the expectations of the medical fraternity from the Pune Police are also high.

Speaking to Sakal Times, Dr Avinash Bhondwe, President Elect, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Pune Branch, said there are a lot of topics in which the police  can play a very active role.

“The police force stands to protect the citizens. In case of violence against medical professionals, we see a lot of things that have to be done. We see that many doctors, even after suffering from violence, do not come forth to lodge a police complaint. The major reason is that there is no trust factor between the doctors and the police. In most times, the violence against doctors is backed by strong political or local connections. Because of this, the doctors do not come forth to lodge a complaint. The police should ensure protection to such doctors who have suffered an assault and would want to file a complaint,” said Dr Bhondwe.

He said in case of medico-legal cases (MLC), the police should not file a non-bailable complaint.

“In case of a MLC, the complaint has to be filed to a committee in a general hospital, which carries out an investigation. In such cases, the police should not file a non-bailable complaint. The police should understand both the sides of the story,” said Dr Bhondwe.

Speaking to Sakal Times, Dr Jayashree Todkar, city-based Laparoscopic and Bariatric surgeon, said in case of conflict situations, the police should stay neutral.

“In many conditions, the police takes side of one party which should not happen. As doctors, we are professionals and our aim is to save lives. However, if some times due to the death of a patient or in case of billing conflicts, the police should not take sides,” said Dr Todkar.

She said many police officials have very poor health. “If those who protect us have poor health, how can they protect us? The police officials should indulge in self-fitness along with their families,” said Dr Todkar.  

FOR COPS
- The police should be sensitiive towards doctors while handling medico-legal cases.
- The police should encourage doctors to file complaints in case a doctor is asaulted.
- Both sides of the case should be taken up by police.
- The police should take care of their health better.