The Bill provides for a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for such assaults. (Representational image)The Health Ministry has invited comments and suggestions within 30 days on the draft Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of violence and damage to property) Bill, which seeks to address the issue of doctors in hospitals being assaulted.
The Bill provides for a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for such assaults. The provisions of the draft law are stringent — it categorises both mental and physical abuse as violence against doctors, and covers not just hospitals and a radius of 50 metres around them, but also home visits. Such violence, it says, will constitute an offence that is cognizable, non-bailable, non-compoundable and fit for trial by a court of the Judicial Magistrate of First Class.
