By IANS,
Lucknow : Wary of being assaulted by relatives of patients, doctors in Uttar Pradesh are demanding a special law for their protection.
The Provincial Medical and Health Services Association (PMHSA) – a body of nearly 10,000 government doctors in the state – has submitted a memorandum, asking for legislation to counter cases of attacks on medicos.
“Doctors are becoming easy targets for the attendants of patients. Almost every month we hear about cases in which doctors or their staff are assaulted on charges of medical negligence,” PMHSA state general secretary B.P. Singh told IANS.
“Moreover, in the majority of such cases police hesitate to file complaints or take action against culprits.
“We want the state government to promulgate an ordinance like the Andhra Pradesh government where an attack on a doctor or a medical institution invites imprisonment of three to 10 years,” added Singh.
The latest case of a doctor being attacked took place May 11 in the Bakshi-Ka-Talaab neighbourhood here. The attendants of a chicken pox patient tied up a medical team’s members to a tree for over two hours, alleging they were not taking proper care of the patient.
PMHSA members said the state government has assured them of taking action to protect them.