GUWAHATI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, August 20, formed a national task force (NTF) to ensure the safety of doctors in the country while asking them to end their strike over the rape-murder of a doctor in Kolkata as health services suffered.
The court added, "We want them to trust us. Their safety and protection is a matter of highest national concern."
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The court was hearing on the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital incident after taking suo moto cognisance.
The NTF is expected to submit an interim report in 3 weeks with suggestions on ensuring doctors' safety and acting on the guidelines set by the court. They are also supposed to submit a final report in 3 months.
The court said that the NTF needed to look into preventing violence, including gender-based violence, against medical professionals as well as providing an enforceable national protocol for dignified and safe working conditions for interns, residents, senior residents, doctors etc.
The court added that in order to prevent gender-based violence against doctors, the following measures were required - ensuring safety in the hospital; infrastructural development; employment of social welfare workers trained in grief and crisis counselling; workshops on handling grief and crisis.
THE TASK FORCE
The court announced the following members of the task force: Surgeon Vice Admiral RK Sarian; Reddy, Managing Director Asian Institute of National Gastrology; M Srivas, Director AIIMS, Delhi; Prathima Moorthy, NIMHANS, Bangalore; Puri, Director, AIIMs, Jodhpur; Ravat, Managing Member of Gangaram Hospital; Prof Anita Saxena, VC of Pandit BD Sharma College; Pallavi and Padma Srivastav.
The task force will also include ex-officio members - the cabinet secretary, the home secretary, the Secretary of Ministry of Family Welfare, the Chairperson of the National Medical Commission and (e) the President of the National Board of Examiners.