Centre asks heads of govt hospitals to file institutional FIR within 6 hours of incident of violence

The directive comes following nationwide protests against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

Written by Anonna Dutt

New Delhi | Updated: August 17, 2024 02:24 AM IST

3 min read

Health Ministry caution Kolkata hospital protest

Scenes from a recent protest at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. (Photo: PTI)

THE CENTRE on Friday asked heads of all government hospitals in the country to register an institutional FIR within six hours of any incident of violence against an on-duty healthcare worker. The memorandum issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare comes amid the nationwide protests of doctors following the rape and murder of a 31-year-old junior doctor at Kolkata’s state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The Union Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said in the memorandum: “In the event of any violence against any healthcare worker while on duty, the Head of Institution shall be responsible for filing an Institutional FIR within a maximum of 6 hours of the incident… Recently, it has been observed that violence has become common against doctors and other healthcare staff in government hospitals. Many health workers suffer physical violence during the course of their duty. Many are threatened or exposed to verbal aggression. Most of this violence is done by either the patient or the patient’s attendants.”

This has been a long-standing demand of resident doctors as such FIRs are not filed in many incidents despite an existing mechanism. Filing an institutional FIR is a must to ensure that the probes and cases may continue even if the original complainant — in most cases resident doctors — has moved to other hospitals after completing education or tenure.

The doctors have also been demanding a Central Protection Act to deter violence against medical personnel on duty. The draft, which was prepared in 2019 after a similar outrage after the assault on a doctor in Kolkata, proposed imprisonment of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh for violence against doctors on duty.

During the pandemic, the Centre had also promulgated an Ordinance bringing in changes to the Epidemic Diseases Act, making violence against healthcare personnel a cognizable and non-bailable offence with imprisonment of up to seven years and fine of up to Rs 5 lakh.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded that security protocols for hospitals should be no less than those in airports. It has asked for meticulous and time-bound investigation, and “dignified compensation to the bereaved family commensurate with the cruelty inflicted”.

Earlier this week, the apex medical education regulator, National Medical Commission, said that in case of violence, there should be a prompt probe by the college management, FIRs should be lodged with police, and action taken report be sent to the NMC in 24 hours. The DGHS had earlier said that all central government hospitals should maintain a registry of such incidents and bring it to the notice of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags: