- By Sahelee Rakshit
- Sun, 18 Aug 2024 10:32 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Kolkata Doctor Rape-Murder: The Padma award-winning doctors have united to raise their voices against the rape and murder of a female junior resident doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College. More than 70 Padma awardee doctors have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing their sorrow over the rape-murder tragedy in Kolkata and requesting the prompt adoption of a special law to address violence against medical staff as well as the introduction of enhanced safety measures in healthcare institutions.
Renowned medical professionals including Ashok Vaid, Harsh Mahajan, Anoop Misra, A K Grover, Alka Kriplani, and Mohsin Wali have asked PM Modi for his "immediate and personal intervention" to address the "alarming" situation. They have also requested that the Centre draft an ordinance right away to guarantee the "harshest possible punishment" for anyone who engages in physical or verbal abuse against healthcare workers.
"It is clear that stronger measures are desperately needed to prevent such atrocities. We call upon law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and society at large to take immediate and decisive action," the doctors wrote.
A wishlist was also included that covered stronger enforcement of current laws, harsher and more time-bound penalties for sexual violence abusers, and improved safety measures in hospitals and medical facilities, among other things.
Concerning a new law, they 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," they added.
Referring to the rape murder of the young doctor in Kolkata, they hoped that it may serve as a "catalyst for real, lasting change."
To protect medical professionals, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other doctors' groups are advocating for a central law. Prominent doctors also called for tighter adherence to current regulations and improved security protocols in healthcare facilities.
Former ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargav, former AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria, and Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences Director Dr S K Sarin are among those who wrote the letter.