GUWAHATI: The government of Assam is gearing to pass a bill for the protection of the doctors.
The move of the Assam government was prompted after a 30 year old doctor was strangled and his ears chopped off. The government of Assam proposed that a law be made to thwart violence against doctors.
The Assam Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill 2011 follows a string of attacks on hospitals and doctors accused of wrong treatment.
It also attains significance vis-à-vis extortion notices from militants forcing some 30 doctors to abandon health centres in western Assam.
According to health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the bill proposes to make any attack on medical institutions and their employees a non-bailable offence.
“An offender under the proposed Act will be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine up to Rs 50,000/-
Introducing the bill, Sarma said, “Incidents of violence inviting damage to hospital properties and healthcare service persons have attracted the attention of the government. Such incidents have adversely affected healthcare services and the morale of those engaged in healthcare services.”
Private hospitals and their staff, he added, would be brought within the ambit of the Act that also seeks to protect personal vehicles and other equipments brought to the institutions by the medicos.
Use of threatening or abusive language against any medicos would also be liable for punishment under the Act. (NNN)