Kolkata doctor rape-murder: Padma awardee medicos write to PM seeking separate law for healthcare workers

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Over 70 Padma awardee doctors have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement a specific law to safeguard healthcare professionals from violence following the Kolkata doctor rape-murder. The doctors have urged the government to pass an ordinance imposing the "harshest possible punishment" on anyone who commits any sort of violence against medical personnel, reported PTI.

According to the report, the letter, signed by prominent figures including former ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargav, former AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria, and Dr SK Sarin, Director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, expresses deep concern about the rise in violence against healthcare workers. The doctors highlighted that such atrocities (referring to the Kolkata rape-murder case), especially against women, undermine the very foundation of the medical profession.

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The Padma recipients have demanded Prime Minister Modi's immediate and personal engagement to rectify what they call an "alarming situation". They emphasised the need for greater measures to prevent crimes like the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case and pushed for the establishment of better safety regulations in medical facilities across the country, the report added.

"We stand in unwavering solidarity with the victim's family, whose pain and loss are unimaginable. We also extend our full support to the medical community, who are increasingly confronting such violence in the course of their work. The safety and dignity of healthcare professionals must be safeguarded with utmost priority," the letter said.

"We call upon law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and society at large to take immediate and decisive action," the letter said.

Reportedly, the doctors emphasised the importance of enacting and implementing the proposed law as soon as possible, ensuring that non-bailable offences are classified and that the judiciary resolves such cases quickly. They also demanded that the pending "Prevention of Violence Against Doctors, Medical Professionals, and Medical Institutions Bill," which has been ready since 2019, be tabled in Parliament and passed without delay.

"We urge the central and state governments to quickly enact and implement a separate law for the protection of healthcare workers, ensuring its rapid enforcement on the ground," the letter said.

"A proposed bill, The Prevention of Violence Against Doctors, Medical Professionals and Medical Institutions Bill, has been ready since 2019 but has not yet been tabled in Parliament for passage and adoption. We strongly believe that an ordinance to this effect can be brought immediately, and the bill should be passed post-haste so that all those working in healthcare delivery systems in the country can work without fear, in service of suffering patients," the letter said.

The letter, penned in light of the Kolkata doctor rape-murder case, ends with an appeal to the Union and state governments to protect the medical profession and ensure that healthcare personnel can carry out their duties without fear of violence or harm, the report added.