Delhi Medical Association moves SC for guidelines to ensure security of doctors, healthcare workers

The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has urged the Supreme Court to lay down guidelines for a security system to ensure a safe working environment for medical service personnel/ professionals and healthcare workers.

"There have been extreme incidents of public lynching where some unfortunate incidents have led to death of the doctors/ health workers," the plea filed by it said.

The petitioners also sought directions to adopt adequate preventive, punitive and compensatory measures/ mechanism to prevent any kind of violence or public lynching against medical service personnel and healthcare workers.

The plea further urged the court to issue guidelines regarding granting compensation to families of deceased healthcare workers.

The petition stated that there needs to be guidelines to evolve an effective and balanced rescue mechanism system for both the health workers and the patients in the form of help desk in every healthcare/ clinical establishments and facilities to intervene immediately to address the problem so that any kind of assault, violence or public lynching can be avoided.

The petition highlighted twenty-eight incidents of violent attacks on doctors or health care workers since 2017.