Attacks on Doctor or Hospital is getting very common nowadays. From last couple of years , Doctors who are the life saver and equivalent to god are living and doing their work are at high risk of their lives.
Recently In West Bengal an intern Doctor has been beaten up brutally by the patient relatives. The doctors’ protest that started in Kolkata on Tuesday has spread across the country on the fourth day of the agitation. The protests have snowballed after Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee refused to acknowledge the protests in Kolkata’s NRS Medical College and Hospital and threatened the doctors with severe action if they didn’t end the agitation at once. However, she later extended the olive branch and asked the agitating doctors to meet her but they refused. The protests still continue with greater intensity and it spreading with more and more hospitals and doctors joining the protests. It all started on Monday night when a 75-year-old patient at Kolkata’s NRS hospital died and his family alleged medical negligence. The family, accompanied by a 200-strong mob barged into the hospital and critically injured one of the doctors, Dr Paribaha Mukherjee. Doctors have since been demanding action against the culprits and police protection for all doctors.
According to a study by the Indian Medical Association, over 75% of doctors have faced violence at work. A lady doctor in Tuticorin was killed by the husband of a pregnant woman who was admitted in a serious condition. She was referred to another hospital but died before she could be shifted. The husband entered the consultation chamber of the lady doctor with three accomplices and attacked her with a sword. In 2014, in Mansa district of Punjab a doctor’s clinic was burnt following death of a boy who was referred to a tertiary hospital but died.[12]
Innumerable incidents of violence against doctors are reported nearly on a daily basis across India, some resulting in grievous injuries. Even institutions such as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, the premier medical institute of the country is not spared.[13] Nineteen states of India have some kind of Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of violence or damage or loss of property) Acts passed and notified in the past 10 years. Under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Medicos Legal Action Group Trust (MLAG) asked all senior superintendents of police in Punjab and Haryana, the two states where the Prevention of Violence against Doctors Act is in place for over 8 years, for the following information.
Looking at the other side, the big question rises why we as a citizen are getting so impatient ? ultimately Doctor is as well a Human being he is not God nor does he have a magical stick with him. Doctor can only put his efforts to save a patient.
Its our responsibility as an individual to remain and calm ,in such situations. Beating someone or abusing someone who is helping you and your closed ones.
What should Doctors and nursing home do to prevent and manage violence-?
It needs to be appreciated that violence against hospitals occurs mainly because of lack of information and misunderstanding. It also occurs because of negligence or crudeness or arrogance or greed on the part of nursing homes. The nursing homes should do the following: A. They should take steps to minimize the possibility of such attacks. Examples of such steps are:The Indian Medical Council (Professional conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, should be strictly complied with by the doctors working in the nursing home.A notice should be prominently displaced providing information to the public about the actions that an aggrieved patient may take. Such information may include: Name and mobile telephone number of the person/doctor who is officially assigned the duty of attending patient
Complaints/emergencies on 24-hour basis.Name of the person in charge and the members of the “Patients Grievance Redressal Committee” of the hospital or nursing home concerned and the time limit (say, 48 hours) during which the Committee would take initial necessary action.The mechanism for supplying a copy of patients’ medical records on request, including the fees and time limit for the same.Name and address of the local Indian Medical Association (IMA) “Patients Grievance Cell”, if such a cell exists.Name and address of the State Medical Council.Name and address of the District Consumer Forum.The following information should also be prominently displayed: Schedule of hospital charges Names, qualifications and medical council registration numbers of all doctors.
B. They should buy a hospital professional indemnity policy through a legal risk cover company. While choosing the legal risk cover company, they should choose that company whose terms and conditions include a written clause that the company will provide legal services in connection with criminal/police complaints related to violence against the hospital
. C. They should organize a collective nursing home defence mechanism through the local IMA. If this is not possible, a few nursing homes should come together on their own to form such a joint mechanism. Such joint defense mechanism, Joint Defense Academy (JDM), would do the following:It would collect fees from members and keep proper accounts of the funds collected and spent.It would provide the following services to the members: Liaising with the police.Organizing joint seminars on the issues related to nursing home protection. The local police officers; CMO; DM; media and some persons from the legal field, if possible the magistrate or sessions judge, should be invited on these occasions and they should be requested to express their views.
GETTING THE PROTECTION ACT PASSED IN YOUR STATE
Press the state IMA to pursue with the state government to pass an act on the lines of the acts in other states such as the “Punjab Protection of Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Services Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2008” or the Tamil Nadu Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2008. Demand from the local MLAs and the health minister that pending the framing of a regular act, an ordinance may be passed immediately as was done in Andhra Pradesh. At the same time, in consultation with an advocate, file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in this connection after necessary ground work.
Conclusion-
Lastly , Doctors are one of the most important profession and no one deserve to be beaten up at any cost . Doctor is as well part of someones family , if any patient does not survive that doesn’t mean that the doctor who was treating him is reason for his death. Secondly gov authorities need to act wisely and take step accordingly. Strict laws need to be made which will restrict these attacks . It should be considered as a serious crime and it should be made non-bailable .
Author-
Raman R Tirpude
MBA(Student),BE
Nagpur,Maharashtra.
raman's blog 