MARD: We will conduct mass bunking till demands are fulfilled

Indian Medical Association plans to talk with central govt about making assault on medical professionals punishable under IPC

With the number of cases of of doctors being assaulted or attacked in hospital premises by patient’s relatives increasing, members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) are now planning to have talk to the central government to ensure that assault on medical professional is brought under a provision of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

This move comes after two resident doctors attached to Sir JJ Hospital were badly assaulted by patient’s relatives on Saturday morning. After the incident, the resident doctors decided to go on a daylong strike.

Dr Shivkumar Utture, an Indian Medical Association (IMA) member, said they will be demanding the central government make assaults on medical professionals a provision under the Indian Penal Code (IPC). “The Maharashtra Medical Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010, does not fall under the IPC, so the police are not aware of this act. So, if any case regarding a doctor’s assault comes, it will not be registered under the Medicare Act,” added Utture.

As per World Health Organisation (WHO) data, in 2014, around 600 doctors in 19 countries were attacked while they were at work. Since January 2015 to August 2016, as many as 44 cases of attacks on doctor have been reported.

A senior member of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) said in the year 2016, as many as 198 cases were reported, where doctors were attacked either by patient’s relatives or by the patients themselves. “We keep demanding the state government to increase the security at the hospital but our demands are always unheard. But, if this time our demands are not fulfilled we will conduct massbunking across the state,” said Dr Sarang Donarkar, Chief of MARD.

Dr Niranjan Chavan, Coconvener and member of Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies (FOGSI)-Violence Against Doctors Cell said, “We condemn this assault on the resident doctors of JJ hospital. Attack on doctors is rising in the country. Our demand is that the state government increase security at JJ hospital. The police should take stern action against the accused.”