The draft of the new medical personnel protection bill approved by the Jharkhand government last week will invite a jail term of up to two years and a monetary fine of up to ₹50,000 against any person found guilty of assault on medical professionals and vandalising government and private hospital properties.
The valuation of damages to the property and the monetary fine against it would also be ascertained by the court that would adjudicate over the matter, the bill provides.
A cabinet chaired by chief minister Hemant Soren on March 15 gave its nod to the bill which is aimed at the protection of medical professionals in the state. The bill named ‘Personnel associated with Jharkhand medical services and institutions (prevention of violence and damage to property) Bill, 2023’, is likely to be tabled in the assembly on Tuesday.
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The bill was welcomed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Jharkhand and doctors in the state. “Such a law is a win-win situation for both sides, medical professionals as well as the patients. This should not be seen as detrimental to the interest of the patients,” said Pradeep Singh, general secretary, Jharkhand IMA.
“Besides providing penal provisions, the bill also provides for certain clauses that fixes responsibility of the medical professionals and the hospital authorities,” a health department official said.
The bill provides that all districts would have the provision of a nodal officer who would monitor the functioning of hospitals.
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“The deputy commissioner would institute a committee led by an officer, not than the rank of sub-divisional officer to probe all complaints against medical professionals and hospitals,” a government official said.
The development comes in wake of repeated demands of the medical fraternity in the state for such a law. The state has witnessed several cases of attack in hospitals involving medical professionals and family members of patients. Two such attacks happened this year in Garhwa and Dhanbad districts, leading to strikes of medical professionals in respective districts.
