In yet another shocking incident that once again brings to the fore the safety of medical professionals in Chennai, an assistant professor at Stanley Medical College was assaulted by a patient, hours after a senior oncologist was attacked in an independent case at another government hospital. This has sent shockwaves throughout the entire medical community and renewed urgent calls for stronger protective measures for healthcare staff, especially in public hospitals.
Assistant Professor Attacked Amid Rising Tensions
Stanley Medical College’s Assistant Professor from the Department of Psychology, Dr. Hariharan was allegedly attacked by Bharat, who has been receiving treatment in the college hospital for the last month. After the attack, Dr. Hariharan was provided immediate medical care and is reportedly stable. Local authorities have arrested Bharat on a formal complaint from the hospital.
This, yet again is a more horrific incidence in the wake of an incident at the Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital where a senior oncologist, Dr. Balaji has been subjected to a shocking stabbing attack by the son of one of his former patients seven times. The doctor is being treated for critical injuries that could well have taken the doctor’s life. This incident happened during daylight hours, shocking the medical fraternity at large regarding the burgeoning attacks on health care workers whose acts of violence appear to have gone unchecked.
IMA Condemns Increasing Violence Against Healthcare Workers
The IMA has condemned the violence and asked for strict measures to put an end to the looming safety threats to doctors in all of India. “Unless greater legislative reform takes place, healthcare professionals will continue to have to work in fear”, it stated.
“No amount of superficial damage control exercises by governments is going to make doctors work without fear in this country. Strong deterrent legislation, exemplary punishments, and proactive safety measures are required now and here. All governments have been put on notice of this heinous crime,” the IMA declared. The statement underscores the IMA’s insistence that authorities take immediate action to curb the violence.
Far-reaching Outrage Supports Policy Reform Calls
The recent spate of attacks has built up a lot of outrage in the medical field, with healthcare professionals and associations demanding better security and stricter legislation to protect healthcare workers. Many doctors feel they are left vulnerable, especially in government hospitals where incidents of assault and aggression by patients or their families appear to be on the rise.
Many called for not only the physical enhancements-that include armed security personnel-but systemic legal reforms that would mete out severe punishments to those found guilty of assaulting any member of the healthcare team. Experts say the existing protections are still, by a long way, inadequate to create a safe workplace environment in high-pressure and high-demand units such as emergency or specialty wards of state-run hospitals.
Urgent Need for Long-Term Solutions
The medical fraternity, including IMA, calls for swift decisions from authorities about bringing in deterrent legislations and pro-active safety measures so that doctors and health professionals could perform their duty without any fear of violence. In their words, long-term, holistic safety measures to deal with the rogue elements of dealing with criminals severely and providing continuous security at hospitals alone would envision such a safe environment where health care professionals could provide quality patient care sans any risks of assault.
As anger builds, the latest violence has pushed calls for a safety policy overhaul into a fever pitch, with healthcare advocates calling for swift, decisive action from government officials.
