Re: Indian doctors’ leaders demand national law to reduce violence in hospitals
Incidents of violence against doctors in the Indian subcontinent have recently increased. National newspapers constantly report doctors being abused, bullied, manhandled, and even killed by the patient’s relatives. In the last few decades, the doctor-patient relationship is not at its best and the trust between them has taken a beating. The ever-hungry media adds to fuel in damaging this delicate relationship by rapidly jumping to conclusions and publishing incredible stories of malpractice and medical negligence[1].
Most doctors in India, especially in the Government hospitals are extremely busy and hence it is inevitable that the quality of care may sometimes get compromised as they attend a significant number of patients, in a small window of time. Delay in attending to their patient or poor communication can easily drive them over an edge. Apart from these factors, high expectations of complete and quick improvement from the patient and their relatives are major contributing factors for increasing assaults[1].
The security of doctors at work is a major challenge in most government hospitals in India, due to lack of adequate security personnel. During the night hours, the doctor on duty has to perform the dual role of a doctor and a security guard. Due to the lack of an established protocol for tackling violence, the perpetrators often go scot-free. Thus, in cases of patient death, the public might take immediate revenge and seeking their ‘pound of flesh’ using physical means rather than taking the legal path. There exist no laws for the protection and safety of the medical community. It is amazing to note that in India, while it is a non-bailable offense to assault a uniformed public servant like a bus driver or a policeman, there is no clear penalty for hitting an on-duty physician in a white coat[1].
The need of the hour is to save this noble profession in India by formulating strict legal provisions to ensure the safety of health worker and these laws must be displayed prominently in the hospital premises so that the perpetrators are forced to think several times before committing this heinous act. Deployment of a sufficient number of police officers and security guards is necessary for every hospital. Assaulting a medical staff on duty should be made a cognizable offense, with serious consequences. The public must be made to realize that the hospitals are sanctums of healing and recuperation and any violence against the health workers could jeopardize the management of sick patients and hamper their recovery to health.] It is paramount that each hospital must ensure the safety of their doctors and should create an emergency protocol to deal with a major act of violence[1].
Reference:
1. Vaishya R, Maini L, Vaish A. Making the Surgeons safe in India. Indian J Orthop 2018: 52:212-13.
Rapid Response:
Re: Indian doctors’ leaders demand national law to reduce violence in hospitals
Incidents of violence against doctors in the Indian subcontinent have recently increased. National newspapers constantly report doctors being abused, bullied, manhandled, and even killed by the patient’s relatives. In the last few decades, the doctor-patient relationship is not at its best and the trust between them has taken a beating. The ever-hungry media adds to fuel in damaging this delicate relationship by rapidly jumping to conclusions and publishing incredible stories of malpractice and medical negligence[1].
Most doctors in India, especially in the Government hospitals are extremely busy and hence it is inevitable that the quality of care may sometimes get compromised as they attend a significant number of patients, in a small window of time. Delay in attending to their patient or poor communication can easily drive them over an edge. Apart from these factors, high expectations of complete and quick improvement from the patient and their relatives are major contributing factors for increasing assaults[1].
The security of doctors at work is a major challenge in most government hospitals in India, due to lack of adequate security personnel. During the night hours, the doctor on duty has to perform the dual role of a doctor and a security guard. Due to the lack of an established protocol for tackling violence, the perpetrators often go scot-free. Thus, in cases of patient death, the public might take immediate revenge and seeking their ‘pound of flesh’ using physical means rather than taking the legal path. There exist no laws for the protection and safety of the medical community. It is amazing to note that in India, while it is a non-bailable offense to assault a uniformed public servant like a bus driver or a policeman, there is no clear penalty for hitting an on-duty physician in a white coat[1].
The need of the hour is to save this noble profession in India by formulating strict legal provisions to ensure the safety of health worker and these laws must be displayed prominently in the hospital premises so that the perpetrators are forced to think several times before committing this heinous act. Deployment of a sufficient number of police officers and security guards is necessary for every hospital. Assaulting a medical staff on duty should be made a cognizable offense, with serious consequences. The public must be made to realize that the hospitals are sanctums of healing and recuperation and any violence against the health workers could jeopardize the management of sick patients and hamper their recovery to health.] It is paramount that each hospital must ensure the safety of their doctors and should create an emergency protocol to deal with a major act of violence[1].
Reference:
1. Vaishya R, Maini L, Vaish A. Making the Surgeons safe in India. Indian J Orthop 2018: 52:212-13.
Competing interests: No competing interests