IMA’s Health Summit on violence against doctos
Indian Medical Association (IMA) recently organised National Health Summit In New Delhi to discuss the rising trend of violence against doctors. Several prominent speakers like Dr K K Talwar, Former Chairman, Medical Council of India, Dr Randeep Guleria, Former Director, AIIMS, Delhi, Dr Sharad Kumar Agarwal, National Past President, IMA Dr Alex Thomas, Patron, AHPI, Dr Girdhar Gyani, Director General, AHPI, Dr Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals, Dr R V Asokan, National President, IMA, Dr Shivkumar Utture, President, Maharashtra Medical Council, Dr Sanjeev Singh, Medical Director, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi and many more from medical fraternity participayed in the deliberations.
The participants of the Health Summit on violence representing stakeholders from healthcare institutions, government as well as law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, and the general public condemned the violence targeting those who provide essential healthcare services. Recognising that violence against healthcare personnel violates their human rights and undermines the well-being of our nation, they called for collective action involving all sections of the society.
According to Dr. Vinay Aggarwal, National President Past, IMA, healthcare institutions pledge to implement comprehensive safety protocols, training programs, and reporting mechanisms to protect healthcare personnel. Simultaneously they will foster a culture of respect and empathy for patients. “We propose to ameliorate the risk of violence by contributing to an environment conducive to vigilance and safety. The implementation of a system to screen patients and visitors is in order. Adequate medical, psychological and legal support will be provided to victims of violence. Appropriate reporting systems will be established to enable health care personnel to report anonymously and without reprisal. Aggregated data would be used to analyse the effectiveness of preventative strategies.
We demand of the Government to enact and enforce legislation that holds perpetrators accountable for violence against healthcare personnel. We will collaborate with healthcare institutions and civil society organisations to create a legal framework that safeguards healthcare personnel and deters violence. Governments should allocate appropriate and sustainable funds in order to effectively tackle violence in the health sector,” he emphasised.