GUWAHATI: In a report submitted to the Supreme Court, the National Task Force (NTF) has recommended against enacting a central law to protect healthcare professionals. The NTF stated that existing penal laws and state-specific legislation are sufficient to address crimes against medical professionals.
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The task force noted that 24 states have already implemented laws targeting violence in medical establishments. In states lacking such laws, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provides provisions to address these offences. “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 explained.
The NTF was constituted by the Supreme Court on August 20 in response to the suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of a junior doctor at RG Kar Medical College Hospital, Kolkata. Led by Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, Director General Medical Services (Navy), the nine-member task force was tasked with making recommendations to improve the safety, working conditions, and well-being of medical professionals.
The report also proposed measures to enhance hospital security, including deploying trained personnel, implementing night-shift safety protocols, providing transport for medical staff, and installing additional CCTV cameras. It recommended senior residents be present in emergency units during night shifts and suggested that first information reports (FIRs) should be filed within six hours of any act of violence against healthcare professionals.