Taking note of the spate of incidents where doctors and other frontline medical professionals are attacked, the Union government has brought out an ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897, which makes such acts of violence a punishable offence. According to the ordinance, acts of violence against healthcare service personnel and causing damage or loss to a property will be a cognizable and non-bailable offence and compensation will be provided to injuries sustained.
The announcement came shortly after Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan held a video conference with several members of the medical community, including those from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), to reassure them that they would be protected. The IMA had called for a protest on Wednesday and Thursday demanding a central law to protect medical professionals against such incidents. Following the announcement, they withdrew the protest.
“Attacks on doctors, health workers, ASHA workers will not be tolerated. As per the new ordinance, if found guilty, case investigation will be completed within six months and the verdict will be out in one year. The accused can face a jail term of three months upto seven years,” stated Union minister Prakash Javadekar.
He further stated that fines ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh would be imposed on those found guilty. In cases of serious injuries, the punishment starts from six months to 7 years and fines start from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
In case of any damage done to vehicles or clinics belonging to health workers and doctors, the attackers will have to compensate twice the amount of the market price of the property.
This comes after the incident where a neurosurgeon in Chennai, who succumbed to COVID-19, was denied a burial place by some residents on Monday. Locals from near the burial site threw stones and attacked his friend and officials who were burying his body.
On Monday, the IMA had declared a White Day, asking doctors to hold candlelight vigil outside their hospitals on Wednesday evening. This has been called off in the wake of the new law.