Today, August 17, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a notice assuring doctors across the nation that it will take all possible measures to ensure their safety following the recent rape-murder incident of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal.
The assurance was made after representatives from the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA), the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and various Resident Doctors' Associations (RDA) in Delhi met with the ministry.
In the notice, the ministry stated, “The Associations have put forth their demands regarding their concern over the safety and security of healthcare workers at the workplace. The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has heard the demands of the representatives and assured them of all possible efforts to ensure the security of healthcare professionals.”
The notice also stated that the government is, “well aware of the situation and is sensitive to their demands” and highlighted that 26 states have already enacted legislation to protect healthcare workers.
“In view of the concerns expressed by the Associations, the Ministry assured them of constituting a Committee to suggest all such possible measures for ensuring the safety of healthcare professionals. Representatives of all stakeholders including the State Governments will be invited to share their suggestions with the Committee,” read the notice
However, this assurance has been met with scepticism by many in the medical community. Dr Dhruv Chauhan, National Council coordinator Indian Medical Association - Junior Doctors’ Network (IMA-JDN), sharing the notice, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “This notice is just to deviate from the central healthcare protection act for doctors, which is our main demand (see how smartly they didn’t mention it anywhere).”
