The Union health ministry has opted against enacting a unified Central Protection Act in response to persistent calls for improved protection for medical personnel. Rather, it has established a committee to investigate methods of improving healthcare worker safety and mandated a 25 percent escalation in security for all central government medical establishments.
This decision comes after a resident doctor at R.G. Kar Hospital in Kolkata was tragically raped and killed, leading to nationwide strikes by resident doctors. The 2019 draft bill, the Healthcare Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, has been endorsed for reconsideration by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has backed the strikes. The Ministry of Home Affairs had previously objected to the bill’s dismissal.
Instead, the health ministry has concentrated on making quick security enhancements. Once the security situation at central government buildings has been evaluated, officials have committed to reviewing the marshal deployment based on the specific needs of each facility. They have made it clear that state-level legislation now in place offer significant protection for healthcare workers, even in the absence of a proposed Central Protection Act. At the moment, laws protecting physicians, nurses, medical students, and paramedics are in place in 26 states and Union Territories. These statutes, which cover bodily hurt, intimidation, and property damage, categorize violent acts against healthcare workers as crimes that are both cognizable and not subject to bail.
The health ministry makes the case that the current legal system is sufficient by pointing out that the offenses connected to the Kolkata incident are covered by current, globally applicable legislation. They contend that since state laws already exist, there is no need to enact a central act, and that it is imperative to improve the way these current provisions are carried out.
In order to examine and improve security measures, the government also intends to meet with the leaders of central government hospitals. This entails putting in CCTV cameras, upgrading the lighting, and making other structural adjustments to provide a safer working environment for healthcare personnel.
The IMA continues to criticize state-level policies in spite of these actions, claiming that they have not been successful in tackling the problem of violence in hospitals. They argue that rather than depending on the disorganized state laws, a centralized framework is required to provide thorough protection and efficient enforcement.
The circumstances highlight a noteworthy discussion over the optimal strategy for protecting healthcare personnel, weighing the necessity for consistent legal protections against the requirement for quick security improvements.
SOURCE :
THE PRINT
