Doctors slam attack on health workers

Coimbatore: Doctors of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Friday denounced the violence suffered by health workers across India.
The doctors, wearing black badges and holding placards, urged the Union government to enact a law to deal with violence against doctors. They also conducted protests across the district.
IMA had instructed members not to discontinue their service, honorary state secretary A K Ravikumar said. “Doctors continued their service and patients were not inconvenienced because of the protest. We want the Union government to enact the central hospital and health care professional protection Act,” he said.
“Tamil Nadu is one of the few states that already has such an act – Tamil Nadu Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2008 – to check violence against health professionals and damage to health infrastructure. Even though the Act is helpful, it should be made stringent. We have also urged the police department to create awareness about the Act among the personnel,” Ravikumar said. “Presently, there is no stipulated time or designated official to file chargesheet. As a result, even though the accused is arrested, over a period of time, the case gets diluted. To prevent dilution and to ensure safety of doctors, a central Act is necessary.”
The members urged the government to declare hospitals as protected zones and prohibit public gatherings there. Security in hospitals should be augmented and standardized, they added.