Odisha Health Department seeks protection of doctors from anti-socials

Bhubaneswar, Aug 19:

With growing incidents of attacks on doctors, the Health and Family Welfare Department of Odisha government on Friday sought protection for doctors and other staff working in the various health facilities throughout the state.

“In recent months, it has been observed that doctors are being manhandled by various anti-social elements on the pretext of wrong treatment. This has led to a feeling of insecurity amongst doctors and other staff working in the health institutions throughout the state,” said Health Secretary Arti Ahuja in a letter to Home Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy.

Ahuja has requested for police outposts to be opened in all tertiary care institutions, district headquarters hospitals and sub-divisional hospitals in the state.

The Health secretary has asked that police personnel be instructed to ensure safety and security of doctors and other staffs working in various government health institutions throughout the state.

Any apprehension of misconduct and manhandling should be strictly looked into and prevented, said Ahuja.

“The importance of Medicare Act 10 of 2009 promulgated to curb violence against medicare providers in government institutions may also be emphasized and police stations be requested to include its provisions in the FIR,” said the Health secretary.

She said FIRs must be lodged in all such cases by including the most stringent sections of law and proper follow-up must be done by the investigating agency to ensure that the cases against attackers reach their logical end.

Meanwhile, a doctor of Balasore district headquarters hospital was critically injured after kin of a patient, who died here, attacked him on Friday.

Sources said medicine specialist Dr Bharat Samal has been admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) following the attack. (IANS)