Violence against doctors doesn't augur well for healthcare industry

For quite some time, safety and security in hospitals have been a matter of great concern in the country. There have been reports of intermittent violence against the medical fraternity by the relatives of the patients in different parts of the country. More recently, Dr Archana Sharma, a doctor who was booked for allegedly causing the death of a pregnant woman at a private facility in Rajasthan's Dausa district, committed suicide. Her death has come as a shock to the medical and non-medical fraternity of the country. The incident has once again triggered a debate about the need to create a peaceful ambience in the healthcare institutions in the country.

Dr Archana Sharma case is not an occasional case. In fact, there have been several such cases in the past also where the doctors and other medical professionals have been bearing the brunt of the violent relatives of the patients. When a patient dies, his family members and friends sometimes may get charged up as they come to the conclusion that the death has been occurred due to the negligence of the doctors and other healthcare professionals. But, whatever might be the reason for the death, the relatives and the friends of the patients have no right to give vent to their ire and emotions on doctors and other healthcare professionals. Such violence will only further vitiate the atmosphere in hospitals which are crumbling like a house of cards due to overcrowding of patients. Besides, the threat of violence will increase the stress levels of the doctors and the healthcare workers. It is a fact that behavioural aberrations of a consumerist society, inappropriate expectations and ignorance of limitations, all contribute to the civilisational degeneration called violence on doctors and hospitals.

Naturally, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group in India, has also come out strongly against the violence against the doctors. The FICCI's Health Services Committee has condemned abuse and violence against medical professionals. The trade body has strongly condemned the harassment faced by Dr Archana Sharma and her family in Rajasthan. Not only the doctors but the entire healthcare fraternity has been once again shaken by the behaviour of the people against the medical professionals who have been dedicating their lives towards saving lives of others.

Quite expectedly, Dr Sharma's suicide has triggered a nationwide debate on the safety of doctors at their workplaces. This is not the first such incident. There have been many instances of abuse and violence against the doctors, over the years, across the country. The tragic incident has once again brought to the fore the issue of bringing a comprehensive central law to check violence against doctors and other healthcare professionals in hospitals. Of course, it calls for some mechanism to prevent attacks on doctors and other healthcare professionals by the angry family members of patients. Such violence in hospitals will only adversely affect patient care and hospitals will be reluctant to admit complicated and risky patients which will affect critical care in the country. Besides, the threat of violence will increase the stress levels of the doctors and the healthcare workers. It is a fact that the doctors, especially in government hospitals, work under tremendous pressure as the doctor-patient ratio in the country has been steadily shooting up.

The World Health Organisation prescribes one doctor for 1,000 patients. But according to the National Health Profile in 2015, there is one doctor for a whopping 11,528 patients in government hospitals across the country. In such a scenario, in case of mishappenings due to medical reasons, it is not justified to blame the treating doctors. Such acts cause insurmountable harm to the community and deflate the healthcare community which has proven their mettle during the Covid pandemic. There are no two opinions about the fact that the doctors across the country have been doing a yeoman's service to the nation in fighting the corona pandemic during the last more than two years now. No doubt they are working under tremendous mental and physical stress because of this prolonged pandemic. In such an unprecedented situation, providing a safe and secure working environment to the medical fraternity should be accorded top priority. The government intervention is the need of the hour.

(The author is freelance journalist with varied experience in different fields)