The Union Health Ministry on Friday said Head of the Institution shall be responsible for filing an FIR in any violence against healthcare worker within six hours of the incident.
In a office memorandum, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Atul Goel said, “Recently it has been observed that violence has become common against Doctors and other healthcare staff in Government hospitals. A number of health workers suffer physical violence during the course of their duty. Many are threatened or exposed to verbal aggression. Most of this violence is done by either patient or patient’s attendants.”
“In view of above, It is stated that in the event of any violence against any health care worker while on duty, the Head of Institution shall be responsible for filing an Institutional FIR within a maximum of six hours of the incident,” Goel said.
The office memorandum was addressed to Director/Medical Superintendent of Central government Hospital/Institutes,
Director All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, all other AIIMS and Directors/Principals of all Medical colleges.
The office memorandum of the Ministry comes amid the ongoing nationwide protest by doctors demanding justice for the woman postgraduate trainee (PGT) doctor who was brutally raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College Hospital in West Bengal’s Kolkata last week.
The protesting doctors are also demanding suspension of former Principal of RG Kar Medical College and immediate constitution of a committee to draft a Central Protection Act (CPA) for health care professionals.
Earlier, the Ministry issued an advisory to the Central government hospitals in Delhi on safe work environment.
In its advisory issued to Centre run hospitals including RML Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, the Ministry said, “Recently it has been observed that violence has become very common against Medical Staff in the government hospitals. Many Health Workers suffer from physical violence at some point in their career. Many more are threatened or exposed to verbal aggression.”
It is important that proactive measures be taken to prevent violence against healthcare professionals/staff, read the advisory.
The Central government hospitals are advised to maintain a registry of all such incidents, it said.
“Any such incident must be immediately brought to the notice of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare through the Directorate General of Health Services,” it added.
