The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other medical professionals' body on Wednesday hailed the government's decision to make violence against healthcare personnel fighting coronavirus a non-bailable offence, with some demanding that this law should apply to any such attack even after the crisis blows over.
The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance making acts of violence and harassment against healthcare personnel deployed in combating COVID-19 a non-bailable offence with maximum punishment of seven years imprisonment and Rs 5 lakh fine, meeting a key demand of health professionals in the wake of recent attacks on them.
The ordinance will amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and the amended law will also be invoked if healthcare personnel face harassment from their landlords or neighbours over suspicion that they may carry the coronavirus infection due to the nature of their work, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan tweeted, "The government has decided to promulgate an ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, in the light of the pandemic situation of #COVID?19. This will facilitate punishment under the law in cases of violence against healthcare service personnel serving during an epidemic."
The IMA, which had been demanding a Central law to deal with the crimes against healthcare professionals, expressed its "heartfelt thanks" to Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan for their "prompt action in bringing an ordinance to end violence against doctors and health workers".
"It will surely boost our morale to serve the nation in this crisis," it said.
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The apex doctor's body had earlier in the day called off its proposed 'White alert' and 'Black day' protests scheduled on April 22 and 23 following a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah through video conference.
Dr K K Aggarwal, the president of Confederation of Medical Associations of Asia and Oceania, said, "Violence and discrimination against the fraternity has once again come to the fore during the coronavirus pandemic. Healthcare providers are leading from the front. They must be given the highest form of protection in this critical hour."
"The government's decision to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act and penalise those who attack healthcare workers is welcome but the same should be further amended to include healthcare establishments treating non-COVID patients also, otherwise it will be the police interpreting the situation on case-by-case basis for inclusion in the Act.
"It would have been easier and better to amend the Clinical Establishments Act and include the same clause," he said.
Echoing similar sentiments, AIIMS Resident Doctors Association (RDA) President Dr Adarsh Pratap Singh said the ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act is a welcoming step by the government, but a central protection act, rise in health budget and strengthening of infrastructure are long-term solutions.
General Secretary of AIIMS RDA Dr Srinivas Rajkumar T also appreciated the Centre for taking note of the situation, "albeit late", and ensuring that frontline workers are able to serve the country without fear.
He, however, said, "It is also important to note that this government rejected 'The Health Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2019', which sought to punish people who assault on-duty doctors and other healthcare professionals by imposing a jail term of up to 10 year."
"Now the government is looking to amend the over a century-old Epidemic Diseases Act to protect healthcare workers only during this crisis. What will happen after the end of this pandemic? Isn't health a priority for the nation? When will the endless assault on health workers and health care facilities end?"
"Personal protective equipment (PPE) have not arrived, testing capacity has not been ramped up sufficiently and adding to this, doctors are getting assaulted... Asking doctors to step up to the challenge of handing the pandemic after a mere amendment to the Act is akin to asking Noah stranded in a desert without tools to build an ark after the deluge," Dr Srinivas said.
Dr Neeraj Gupta, professor in the Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at Safdarjung Hospital the ordinance "is a balm to the aches of medical warriors and a valuable step toward right direction... I wish it remains permanent for non-COVID times as well."
The Federation of Resident Doctors Association said, "Thankful to Hon'ble Prime Minister and Ministry of Home Affairs for the much needed Ordinance and necessary amendments in Epidemic Act for protection of healthcare professionals. Expecting it to be a step in the right direction of implementing 'Central Act for Protection of Doctors & other healthcare professionals' which is our long-pending demand and a need in the long run,"
Several incidents of violence against medical professionals have been reported from different parts of the country during the coronavirus outbreak.
In Chennai, an orthopaedic surgeon had to bury his associate, a neurosurgeon who died of COVID-19, in the middle of the night using his bare hands and a shovel at a crematorium with the help of just two hospital wardboys after the undertakers fled when a mob, protesting the interment, attacked them.
The windscreens of the ambulance, in which the body of the neurosurgeon was brought to the crematorium on Sunday night, were smashed.
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