When asked whether the government plans to introduce or amend any legislation to ensure the safety and protection of medical professionals from such violence, the minister said many states have already enacted laws to address violence against healthcare professionals.Most state laws cover minor offences and prescribe punishment for them. Major offences or heinous crimes, she noted, are adequately covered under BNS, 2023.”As state laws have adequate provisions to address day-to-day minor offences, and serious offences can be addressed by BNS, 2023, a separate central law to deal with offences against healthcare professionals is not required,” the minister said.She also mentioned that following the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry issued an advisory to all central government hospitals and institutes, including All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and medical colleges, to ensure the filing of FIRs within six hours of any incident of violence against medical professionals.The ministry also advised all states and union territories to take immediate measures to enhance security and provide a safer working environment for medical professionals.Taking cognizance of the alleged rape and murder incident at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, the Supreme Court constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to formulate effective recommendations to address concerns related to the safety, working conditions, and well-being of medical professionals.The NTF has already submitted its report to the Supreme Court, in which it stated that there is no need for a separate central law to protect healthcare workers.In response to a question from Congress MP Kuldeep Indora about the IMA’s survey indicating that doctors, particularly women doctors, do not feel safe during night shifts due to inadequate security protocols across the country, Patel said the survey was an independent initiative and that the central government had not participated in it.To another question from Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sayani Ghosh on violence against healthcare workers, the minister reiterated, “It is the primary responsibility of the concerned state/union territory to take note of events and eventualities and take appropriate action to prevent violence against healthcare professionals.”
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