Padma Awardees Urge PM for Law to Protect Healthcare Workers Amid Kolkata Tragedy

Over 70 Padma awardee doctors have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding the swift enactment of a special law to address violence against healthcare personnel. This follows the alleged rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor in Kolkata. The doctors emphasize the urgency of improved safety protocols and harsher penalties for perpetrators.

Expressing deep anguish over the Kolkata rape-murder incident, over 70 Padma awardee doctors have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the rapid enactment of a special law to address violence against healthcare personnel. The doctors call for immediate ordinances and stringent safety protocols in medical facilities.

The letter comes in the wake of widespread protests by healthcare workers following the alleged rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College and claims of a botched investigation. The Indian Medical Association and other doctors' bodies are pressing for a central law to ensure the safety of medical staff.

The signatories, including former Director General of ICMR Dr Balram Bhargav and the former AIIMS Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria, seek PM Modi's intervention. The doctors emphasize the necessity for rigorous application of existing legal frameworks and swift judicial action to serve as deterrents. They advocate for the immediate passage of The Prevention of Violence Against Doctors, Medical Professionals, and Medical Institutions Bill, prepared since 2019 but yet to be tabled in Parliament.