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To express solidarity with the doctors who are agitating against an attack on their colleagues in West Bengal, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a strike on June 17.
The apex body of doctors in the country also renewed its demand for a central law to check violence against healthcare workers in hospitals and said that the law should provide a minimum sentence of seven-year jail to violators.
Also read:Junior doctors’ stir in West Bengal enters 4th day
The IMA has also decided to continue their protest on Saturday and Sunday condemning the continued suffering of the resident doctors and repeated occurrence of harassments, it said. These protests will include wearing black badges, dharnas, peace marches. IMA has also requested the support from all associations of the fraternity to join the agitation, it said.
“IMA condemns the recent incident of violence against Dr Paribaha Mukherjee who was brutally attacked by a violent mob at NRS Medical College, Kolkata and demands an exemplary action by the state government. All the legitimate demands of the resident doctors in West Bengal should be accepted unconditionally,” RV Asokan, Secretary General of IMA, said.
Violence in hospitals
The IMA called for an “nationwide withdrawal of non-essential services in all healthcare institutions” on Monday. All non-essential services including OPDs will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 AM, while emergency and causality services will continue to function.
“Safety and security in hospitals have been a matter of great concern and need to be addressed. IMA has been demanding a central law against hospital violence and has declared a zero-tolerance policy against violence on doctors and healthcare establishments.
“World Medical Association has also passed a resolution against violence on healthcare establishments and urged to bring stronger legislation against this menace,” Asokan said.
Also read:Calcutta High Court refuses to pass interim order on doctors’ strike
Violence in hospitals will adversely affect patient care and institutions will be reluctant to take up complicated and risky patients which will affect critical care. Threat of violence increases the stress levels of health care workers. Sound judgment regarding patient care will be compromised in such situations, he explained.
“A national law against violence in hospitals has to be brought in urgently that should provide a minimum of seven years imprisonment for hospital violence. To ensure that the cases are registered, culprits are arrested and conviction is necessitated, appropriate mandatory provisions as provided in the POCSO Act have to be instituted. Hospitals should be declared as safe zones and provision of appropriate security should be the responsibility of the state,” Asokan said.
The junior doctors have been agitating since Tuesday in West Bengal demanding security for themselves in government hospitals, after two of their colleagues were attacked and seriously injured allegedly by relatives of a patient who died at the NRS Medical College and Hospital.
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