Speaking on the assault on medical professional Dr Ashok Adhao patron IMA said that “in future, if any person assaults doctor then we will not be given our medical assistance to such person and their family members as well”.
Dr Adhao was speaking in a press conference regarding a protest by Indian Medical Association members against the constant assault on Medical Profession and Professionals.
IMA President Sanjay Deotale said that “medical professionals have been working selflessly and treating COVID patients trying to save their lives without caring for their own yet doctors are being assaulted all over India. IMA condemned such action and stand without doctors and in order to save our doctors we on June 18 are holding an agitation against this in which all the hospital staff paramedic staff all over India will boycott our services from 8 AM to 2 pm”.
Assault on doctors was not common before last ten years but slowly it started taking place in some cities and some hospitals. It happened in Government Hospitals also. IMA has urged the state and Central Governments to form an act against the violence against the doctors and hospital.
We need to express our anguish and solidarity to make the Government realize and come out in public and ensure:
- Central Hospital and Health Care Professionals Protection Act with IPC & CrPC tag
- Standardization and augmentation of security in each
- Hospital shall be declared as protected zone.
- Assault culprits shall be punished under fast-track mode and stringent punishment shall be given.
During this COVID-19 pandemic the attacks on doctors and hospital are on increasing trend. The doctors are putting their life in danger in treating COVID patients but people are still behaving cruelly with them. The central Government has made a law to prevent this under Pandemic act but it seems ineffective. Another reason of the attacks on doctors is the loose and wrong comments made by many responsible and influential people in society.
This leads to tarnish the image of medical professionals and profession as a whole. Recent statement by Ramdeobaba against Modern Medicine is an example. When modern medicine is responsible for upliftment of the overall health of our society as well as country, the practitioners of modern medicine are publically blamed and beaten by society. If this continues, no intelligent student in the society will dream of becoming doctor. Also this type of statements from the popular and influential people will reduce the faith of the people on their treating doctors which in turn will harm the public health. To avoid this IMA HQ has decided to observe the National protest day on 18th June. All the Hospitals and clinics will be closed till 2 pm on 18th June. Dr Sanjay Deotale, President and Dr Sachin Gathe, Hon. Secretary have appealed all the members of IMA to keep their Hospitals and clinics closed from 8 AM to 2 pm on 18th June.
