In the wake of country-wide protests by doctors after attack on two of their colleagues in Kolkata, Union Health Minister on June 14 supported the medical fraternity's demand for a central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals and said such crimes should be made non-bailable.



"Heinous repeated attacks on doctors across India esp WBengal have led to this situation.Govt must pass a Law to make any attack on Docs a non-bailable offence with min 12 yr jail. Draconian Clinical Establishment Act that treats Docs as criminals must be withdrawn (sic)," Vardhan tweeted.

His tweet came hours after the Indian Medical Association launched a four-day nationwide protest from June 14 and wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding enactment of a central law to check violence against health care workers in hospitals. Reacting to Vardhan's remarks, the IMA thanked the central government for responding positively to its demand. "IMA wholeheartedly thanks the Prime Minister of India and the central government and welcomes the decision on behalf of the medical fraternity of India," it said in a statement.

Condemning any form of violence especially against medical professionals in the country, the apex body of doctors said its protest will continue on Saturday and Sunday as well, which will include wearing black badges, dharnas and peace marches, and called for a strike on June 17 with withdrawal of non-essential health services. 

In a letter to Shah, the IMA requested him "to bring a central legislation in the form of special law against violence on doctors and health care establishments". "Any form of violence against medical profession and facilities will be counterproductive, demoralise health providers, thus taking away the confidence and courage of medical profession especially in critical situations," it said 

"Ultimately the situation will adversely impact on patient care and safety and implications will be far reaching," it said. Renewing the demand for a central law, the IMA said the law should have a provision for a minimum of seven-year jail sentence to violaters. To ensure that the cases are registered, culprits are arrested and conviction is necessitate, appropriate mandatory provisions as provided in the POCSO Act have to be instituted, it demanded.

"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.

The IMA said all non-essential services including OPDs will be withdrawn for 24 hours from 6 am on June 17, while emergency and causality services will continue to function. 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.

Scores of doctors at several government and private hospitals in Delhi boycotted work, held marches and raised slogans to express solidarity with their protesting colleagues in Kolkata. Similar protests have been held in several other states across the country.

The 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.