On Friday the Union Ministry of Health and Welfare has issued a memo for all the healthcare institutions amid vandalism at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Notably, this comes after a violent mob vandalised the RG Kar Hospital during the midnight protests being staged there on August 14, after the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor.
The Union Ministry of Health and Welfare’s office memorandum has been signed by the DGHS, Dr. Atul Goel. Directed to the vandalism at RG Kar Hospital, the memo reads, “Recently it has been observed that violence has become common against Doctors and other healthcare staff in Government Hospitals.”
“A number of Health workers suffer physical violence during the course of their duty. Many are threatened or exposed to verbal aggression. Most of this violence is done by either patient or patient’s attendants”, it further read.
The memo further says, “In view of above, it is stated that in the event of any violence against any health care worker while on duty, the Head of Institution shall be responsible for filing an Institutional FIR within a maximum of 6 hours of the incident.”
Condemning the vandalism at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital during the midnight protest on August 14, the Calcutta High Court has called it an ‘absolute failure of state machinery’ and has also told the state that the court would shift all the patients and close down the hospital.
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