Separate Central Law To Deal With Offences Against Medical Professionals Not Required : National Task Force To Supreme Court

The National Task Force, in its report filed in the Supreme Court in the RG Kar suo motu case, has opined against the need for a central law to protect healthcare professionals. According to the NTF, the provisions of the existing penal laws are sufficient to deal with crimes against medical professionals.

The NTF stated that various States have enacted laws to specifically deal with violence in medical establishments. In the absence of such laws, the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita can address such crimes.

“It has been observed that State laws have adequate provisions to address day-to-day minor offences and serious offences can be addressed by BNS. A separate Central law to deal with offences against healthcare professionals is, therefore, not required,” the NTF stated.

The NTF report pointed out that twenty-four states have passed special laws to deal with offences against medical professionals. "Most of the State laws cover minor offences and prescribe punishment for them. The major offences/heinous offences are adequately covered under BNS,” the NTF said.,

It was on August 20 that the Supreme Court constituted the NTF(NTF) in the suo motu case taken over the rape-murder of a junior doctor in the RG Kar Medical College Hospital, Kolkata. The Court constituted a 9-member NTF to be headed by Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin AVSM, VSM, Director General Medical Services (Navy) to make recommendations pertaining to safety, working conditions and well-being of the medical professionals.

The NTF has also made recommendations to improve the safety at hospitals, such as deployment of trained security personnel, night-shift safety protocols and transportation for medical staff, increasing CCTVs, security checks etc. It suggested that senior residents may be present in emergency units during night.  FIRs should be filed within six hours of the reporting of any act of violence committed against medical professionals at hospitals.