Times View

PUNE: The doctors in the city have demanded strict implementation of a 2010 Act that protects them and their hospitals from attacks by patients’ relatives.The medical professionals on Wednesday organized a silent march against a recent attack on a hospital in Hadapsar where the doctor and his staffers were beaten up by relatives of a man who died two days after a hip surgery. The doctors demanded strict implementation of the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage of Property) Act, 2009. The protesters expressed displeasure over the fact that attacks on doctors continue till date even though the Act was enacted in 2010.The post-mortem report of the man who died in Abne hospital in Hadapsar on Monday evening has arrived. "The cause of death is not known yet. The samples have been sent for chemical analysis. The final report is awaited," said senior inspector Rajendra Mohite.The doctors submitted a memorandum to the police commissioner’s office requesting awareness of the provisions of the Act among the police force."The state assembly passed the Act five years ago, making attacks on doctors or hospital staffers a non-bailable offence. The offender, if found guilty, faces imprisonment up to three years and a fine of Rs 50,000. Such attacks, however, continue at an alarming rate. Past experiences show that attackers generally get bail, even though it is a non-bailable offence," said paediatrician Dilip Sarda, immediate past president of the state chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).Sarda said that doctors and hospital staff are under tremendous mental stress due to repeated attacks on them. "In spite of the best treatment given, patients could die. If every death is viewed as a case of medical negligence, then there would be no end to such attacks. It is high time that the police commissioner takes up the issue and sensitise police force about the provisions of the Act. We have urged the commissioner to keep a copy of the Act with every police station and chowkey," said Sarda."All these years I never felt scared to take up a challenging case. But I cannot say that today. My confidence is shaken. Should doctors now look at their patients as potential litigants or threat to their safety? If the trend continues, doctors will have to think twice before taking up complex and high-risk cases," said orthoapedic surgeon Nitin Bhagali, president of Association of Nursing Homes and Clinic owners in Pune.Sarda said that friends and relatives of the deceased at times involve communal groups and political outfits in the dispute.Sanjay Bhutkar, a gynaecologist and president of the city chapter of IMA, said, "The Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage of Property) Act is relatively new. Hence, there is little awareness about it. Punishing a few offenders will act as a deterrent.""Relatives obviously get emotional when they hear of a loved one’s death. At that time, they do not realize what they are doing and end up making mistakes. But that doesn’t mean that the doctors should become soft targets. Even if the attackers get arrested, they get bail the same day, which doesn’t send out a very good message," said paediatrician Sharad Agarkhedkar, vice-president of the state chapter of IMA.Anti-social elements take advantage of this situation and indulge in violence. "It is sheer foolishness to blame the doctors and hospitals for all deaths that occur in hospitals," said paediatrician Jayant Navarange, chairman of the medico-legal wing of the state chapter of IMA.Doctors in public hospitals are also tired of repeatedly bringing up the security issue with authorities. "Only an attack on doctor or vandalism in hospital spurs the government into action. And this is often inadequate. It is a sorry situation. Relatives should keep in mind that we doctors are doing our job and have nothing personal against anyone," said a resident doctor from Sassoon hospital.Angry relatives attacking doctors and vandalizing hospitals is disturbing. The mob, besides kin and friends of the patient, include members of political outfits or communal groups. It is high time that the police sensitize people about the stringent provisions of the Medicare Act, passed by the state legislature four years ago. Patients, who feel they have not received the attention they deserve, often forget that doctors are victims of a lopsided healthcare system. There is only one doctor per 1,700 citizens in Indiawhen the World Health Organization stipulates a minimum ratio of 1:1,000. Instead of resorting to violence, patients or their relatives should lodge a medical negligence complaint with the authorities.