Padma awardee docs write to PM, demand special law for safety

Over 70 Padma awardee doctors have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding quick enactment of a special law to deal with violence against healthcare personnel and implementation of improved safety protocols in medical facilities.

In the wake of rape and gruesome murder of a trainee woman PG doctor at the staterun R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata earlier this month, they suggested that the Centre bring an ordinance immediately to ensure the “harshest possible punishment” to those who indulge in violence against healthcare workers, whether verbal or physical.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other doctors’ bodies are pressing for a central law to ensure the safety of medics.

Among those who have written the letter are former Director General of ICMR Dr Balram Bhargav, former AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria and Dr S K Sarin, Director of Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, In the letter, the Padma awardees have sought PM Modi’s immediate and personal intervention to address the alarming situation, saying such acts of brutality shake the very foundations of service by medical professionals and highlight the urgent need to address violence, particularly against women, girls, and healthcare professionals.