New Delhi: Noting that anti-social elements are responsible for most of the 'purposeful' attacks on doctors, national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr. J A Jayalal on Saturday expressed his anguish on as much as 75% of doctors facing violence at workplace.
Attending the second day of Gratitude Week for Health Guardians, organized by Integrated Health and Well-being council (IHW), Dr Jayalal also said that hospitals must plan to prevent such attacks and the government must come forward to protect the doctors.
"Attacks on doctors or medical staff have become a common practice now. If estimated, 75% of doctors have faced such situations. People want doctors and hospitals to treat patients as per the information they are getting from social media, like a WhatsApp message, or information on Google, due to which conflicts happen. It is not the patient's family, relatives and friends who attack doctors but is done by anti-social elements and people influenced by political parties, "he said.
"In the 300 incidents of attack that have been reported, in 255 cases it is not the patients or their attendants who attacked the doctor. It is a purposeful attack that is happening on the modern medical system. Hospitals must make arrangements for the safety of doctors and staff. We need to prevent these attacks and the government should come forward to protect the doctors," said Dr. Jayalal.
Issue of doctors getting harassed was picked up by the Council.
"The attacks on doctors have shocked us at a time when doctors are being seen as God on the Earth and hospitals as temples fighting to save us from this deadly virus. Our beloved Prime Minister has himself expressed his gratitude to them. On the policy side, the government has brought stringent laws to contain violence against doctors and healthcare workers. Almost 2 out of 3 doctors are unable to treat patients without the fear of abuse of violence. Needless to say, it affects the health system as doctors with this mindset will avoid taking bold decisions for the benefit of their patients," said Kamal Narayan, CEO, Integrated Health and Well-being council.