Govt mulling legal shield for healthcare workers

The government may consider introducing appropriate legal safeguards for healthcare workers, who, at times, face violence from relatives or attendants of patients, a Parliamentary panel has said.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs headed by BJP member Brij Lal, which examined the proposed three criminal laws, discussed a memoranda submitted by various medical associations requesting it to introduce provisions under Clause 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to penalise acts of violence against healthcare service personnel.

The committee, in its report, said it was submitted before the panel that unlike in any other professions, healthcare professionals are vulnerable to “violent attacks” by relatives of patients, in cases where patients die during treatment.

Such violent attacks against healthcare personnel are prevalent throughout the country and there is a need to provide some legal safeguards for the benefit of healthcare workers, the medical associations told the committee.

In its response, the Union Home Ministry said the general penal provisions are applicable to all and no distinction is made in the penal laws for any class of person. Everyone is equal in the eyes of law, the home ministry stressed.

The state is duty bound to protect life all its citizens, including doctors and professionals like media persons, advocate, bankers, charted accountants, etc.

Making a special provision for doctors and other health care professionals may give rise to similar demands from other professionals like media persons, advocates, bankers, charted accountants, the home ministry observed.