As a tribute names the bill as “Vandana Das Act”
New Delhi : Shashi Tharoor, the Congress Member of Parliament form Thiruvananthapuram introduced a private member in Lok Sabha called The Healthcare Personnel and Healthcare Institutions (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2023. Tharoor added that if the bill is passed, he would like it to be called the Dr Vandana Das Act — named after the young doctor who was murdered by a patient at a government hospital in Kerala’s Kollam district, earlier this year.
The introduced bill read, “While there is no central data on the number of assault cases against healthcare personnel or health facilities, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) estimates that 75 percent of all doctors face some form of verbal and physical abuse during their service, with cases of violence severely underreported. International organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN), have also recognized the issue of violence against healthcare workers as a global concern.”
“The legislative lacunae only further complicate our ability to address this challenge. Currently, no national-level law, including the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860 and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 comprehensively and categorically addresses the issue. State Laws vary: the existing laws are weak in their implementation, vary a lot and lack scope to protect all Healthcare personnel,” it added.
Lastly, the MP, in the bill, stressed, “Her death (Dr. Vandana Das death) must not just serve as a reminder of the consequences of our inaction but become a call to action, particularly towards ensuring that the legislative lacuna is addressed so that no doctor has to worry about their own safety in the line of duty.” Finally, Shashi Tharoor in the bill concludes “This, therefore, necessitates a comprehensive central legislation to put a check on such violence at the earliest, to promote a safe work environment for doctors and other healthcare personnel and to serve as a model for state laws.”New Delhi : Shashi Tharoor, the Congress Member of Parliament form Thiruvananthapuram introduced a private member in Lok Sabha called The Healthcare Personnel and Healthcare Institutions (Prohibition of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill, 2023. Tharoor added that if the bill is passed, he would like it to be called the Dr Vandana Das Act — named after the young doctor who was murdered by a patient at a government hospital in Kerala’s Kollam district, earlier this year. The introduced bill read, “While there is no central data on the number of assault cases against healthcare personnel or health facilities, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) estimates that 75 percent of all doctors face some form of verbal and physical abuse during their service, with cases of violence severely underreported. International organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN), have also recognized the issue of violence against healthcare workers as a global concern.” “The legislative lacunae only further complicate our ability to address this challenge. Currently, no national-level law, including the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860 and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 comprehensively and categorically addresses the issue. State Laws vary: the existing laws are weak in their implementation, vary a lot and lack scope to protect all Healthcare personnel,” it added. Lastly, the MP, in the bill, stressed, “Her death (Dr. Vandana Das death) must not just serve as a reminder of the consequences of our inaction but become a call to action, particularly towards ensuring that the legislative lacuna is addressed so that no doctor has to worry about their own safety in the line of duty.” Finally, Shashi Tharoor in the bill concludes “This, therefore, necessitates a comprehensive central legislation to put a check on such violence at the earliest, to promote a safe work environment for doctors and other healthcare personnel and to serve as a model for state laws.”
