Association Of Surgeons Of India Urges PM For An Ordinance To Check Violence Against Doctors, Healthcare Workers

The Association of Surgeons of India has appealed to the Prime Minister about the urgent need for a Central Law on violence against healthcare professionals by promulgating an ordinance.

P. Raghuram, President of the Association, in a letter to the Prime Minister raised serious concerns about the series of cruel, brutal acts of violence, abuse, and vigilantism against the medical profession. The attacks reached a peak during the unprecedented humanitarian crisis while fighting the war against COVID-19, he said.

Dr. Simon Hercules’ case: a new low

Citing the case of Dr. Simon Hercules, a humane neurosurgeon who died due to COVID-19, and could not be given a decent burial by his family and friends as they were attacked by a mob protesting against the burial in their locality in Chennai on Monday, Dr. Raghuram said it was a new low ‘we as a nation reached’.

“Dr. Hercules had spent his life serving people and was treating COVID-19 patients in the frontline and succumbed to the very infection,” he said.

Absence of visible punishment

Further, Dr. Raghuram said such brutal acts were increasing rapidly in the absence of any visible punishment to the criminals involved in such cases anywhere in the country. The Centre’s previous efforts to implement a Central Law to punish people who assault doctors did not materialise so far.

He appealed to the Prime Minister to consider how badly demoralised healthcare professionals and workers could provide the best possible healthcare in an atmosphere of hatred, fear and violence.-The Hindu