Protests are still going on in Kolkata regarding the trainee doctor rape-murder case. A bench of Chief Justice (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala, Justice Manoj Mishra has heard the case in the Supreme Court. The CJI has said that we cannot wait for another rape to improve the system. Today we will tell you about the violence against doctors in other countries besides India.
Hearing in Supreme Court
A bench of Chief Justice (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala, Justice Manoj Mishra has heard the case in the Supreme Court. After the court’s order, a task force is being formed to improve the security of doctors, 9 doctors have been included in it, which will recommend measures for the safety, working conditions and betterment of medical professionals. Five officers of the central government have also been included in the task force.
Victim of violence
Let us tell you that The Journal of the American Medical Association is one of the third best medical journals in the world. According to it, violence against doctors is a global problem. The World Health Organization says that 8% to 38% of health workers have to face physical violence at some point in their career.
Which country has the highest violence?
According to survey reports, the percentage of doctors facing violence at the workplace is 85% in China, 75% in India and 47% in the US. While the attackers are mostly patients and their relatives, in the US, the attacker is the patient in 97% of the cases. According to the departments, 39% cases of violence come from obstetrics and gynecology, 30% from surgery, 27% from medicine and 4% from other departments. On the other hand, younger and less experienced doctors are found to be more prone to violence.
Fear among doctors
A recent survey released by the Indian Medical Association revealed that 82.7% doctors feel stressed in their profession. 62.8% are afraid of violence and 46.3% say that violence is the main reason for their stress.
Main reason for violence
The main reason for violence in most hospitals is what patients and their relatives consider to be doctor’s negligence. However, people are not ready to accept that medicine is not an exact science.
How will violence against doctors be reduced
Regarding violence, doctors believe that there should be a law to make violence against health workers and establishments non-bailable and to impose long jail sentences and heavy fines.
Strict laws in these states
Let us tell you that more than nineteen states in India have strict laws to protect health workers and establishments from violence. The first such state law was implemented in Andhra Pradesh in 2007 by Chief Minister YS Raj Shekhar Reddy, who himself was a doctor. This law made violence against doctors a non-bailable offence, for which a fine of up to fifty thousand rupees and a jail sentence of up to three years can be imposed. Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and other states have also made similar laws.
How will doctors be protected?
• Sometimes violence also occurs due to doctors’ own mistakes. To prevent violence to some extent, doctors should not do such treatment for which they are not trained.
• Doctors should be trained for effective communication and good interpersonal skills.
• At the same time, a senior doctor not involved in the treatment should talk to the relatives of the patient to reduce the situation.
• Establishments should have adequate security staff and security alarm system for the safety of employees.
• Establishments should have CCTV cameras with trained supervisors 24 hours a day, panic buttons and better control on entry to the emergency department.
• Overcrowding in hospitals should be reduced by encouraging patients to consult family doctors/general physicians for mild ailments.
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