The Kerala High Court directed the police to register FIR within an hour if any attack on doctors were reported in the state. There has been an increase in the violence unleashed on health workers in Kerala.
The sudden action will ensure that the perpetrators understand the consequence of attacking a duty doctor, The High Court said.
Expressing concern over the recurring attacks against doctors and healthcare professionals in hospitals, the HC issued a notice to the state police.
The Kerala High Court Suo Moto registered a case based on media reports and directed the Kerala DGP to ensure swift action. The court also asked about the availability of police check posts near hospitals.
A total of 147 such cases were reported in the state since January. Most recently, a doctor was manhandled by the kin of a patient at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
“This is certainly distressing, because, statistically, this means that there are at least 10 or 12 attacks every month,” LiveLaw quoted the Division bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran and Justice Kauser Edappagath as saying.
“The fact that the Government Hospital System is overwhelmed and that the number of patients are escalating by the day, are common knowledge. Unless the Doctors and Healthcare Professionals are able to act in peace and calm, it would become impossible for the system itself to sustain,” the bench observed.
