GUWAHATI :The Tea Association of India (TAI) has expressed its deep shock over the brutal assault that was made on Dr. Deben Dutta, the Medical Officer of Teok Tea Estate in Jorhat district of Assam on August 31 last by an irate group of workers. The Doctor later succumbed to his injuries in Jorhat Medical College and Hospital.
This incident was preceded by report of yet another assault on a Medical Officer from Dikom Tea Estate.
These incidences have deeply shaken the morale of all executives employed in Tea Estates not to speak of the Garden Medical Officers who have since the incidence resorted to resignation from different Tea Estate.
Incidences of violence on Doctors and other Medical personnel have been reported now and then both in the urban as well as rural areas, which has led to the different State Government to enact laws on Medical Protection Act which also includes the State of Assam [The Assam Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage To Property) Act, 2011 ].
The existence of this Act has not proved to be a deterrent to possible assailants because of various factors. However, the Government of India has already conceptualized a Bill to address this phenomenon which is reportedly in the process being sent to the State Governments for seeking their views.
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This Bill considers assault on Doctor and other Medical Personnel, damage to hospital property and equipments a major offence. A rigorous fine with imprisonment etc. and such stringent provision of law can go a long way to bolster the morale of the Medical Persons engaged in the Tea Industry.
A reference is made to the recent Amendment to the Motor Vehicle Act 2019 which stipulated stringent penal and monetary provision to act as deterrent.
This Association, i.e. Tea Association of India in an appeal / prayer submitted before to the Hon’ble Health Minister, Government of Assam urged him to use his good offices to pursue promulgation of the Central Act with the Central Government to convert the above stated bill into a Act on an urgent basis.
This Association hereby submits before the Government of Assam to explore the possibility to amend the Criminal code of procedure to include such heinous attacks within the ambit of the Medical Protection Act [The Assam Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage To Property) Act, 2011 ]
It is also urged the State Government devise a standing operational procedure (SoP) so that as soon as information of such assault occur, a rapid response system is triggered to arrest the situation from deterioration.
This Association fully believes that the Government of Assam would do all that is necessary to arrest these deviant trends amongst tea garden workers and the information regarding institution of Fast Track Court is also as pointer in the right direction.
With massive expansion of health services launched by the State Government in tune with the National Flagship Missions of Health by the Central Government, this Association would also look forward to the integration/merger of the Garden Hospitals within governmental working parameters.