Who will safeguard the lives of those who save lives? The rape and murder of a young woman doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital has, once again, brought to the fore demands for a law to prevent and penalise violence against doctors. The Indian Medical Association has urged the task force set up by the Supreme Court for a Central law to declare hospitals as safe zones with security entitlements. The Congress member of Parliament, Shashi Tharoor, who had tabled a private member bill on this in the Lok Sabha last year, has nudged the Union health minister to pass a bill to this effect. The Narendra Modi government had, in its previous term, proposed a draft bill that made violence against healthcare professionals a non-bailable offence. But the then Union health minister argued that doctors cannot be singled out as professionals in need of protection. This argument deserves scrutiny. Violence against doctors and other members of hospital staff by patients’ kin is tragically common, especially in cases where patients die. This is because doctors, unfortunately, become the tangible face of a beleaguered healthcare system that cannot always provide the necessary succour to people and, hence, serve as soft targets for public anger. So prevalent is such violence that 19 states in India have passed laws to protect healthcare workers and establishments from unruly mob behaviour. The first such law was promulgated in 2007. Yet, not a single conviction has taken place since then. In West Bengal, too, the Trinamool Congress government had pledged to clamp down on violence against doctors and promised better security equipment in public hospitals, female guards to support female physicians, and controlled entry points five years ago when doctors had gone on strike to protest violence against them. None of this has been implemented yet.

According to the IMA, 75% of doctors in India have faced some kind of violence in their line of duty. This persistent threat of violence affects the quality of care delivered by physicians. India ought to examine some of the relevant international templates in this context. The United Kingdom has dedicated security teams for medical staff and a comprehensive reporting system for violence; in the United States of America, some states classify assaults on healthcare workers as felonies; Australian hospitals have safety measures like security personnel, panic buttons, and mandatory de-escalation training for healthcare workers. It is high time India passed — and properly implemented — a similar legislation.