With the increase in the cases of COVID-19 in India, the violence against health workers is also on the rise. Looking at the increasing cases of such violence in different areas of the country, the government has decided to take strict measures in order to ensure the safety of health professionals.
The government has brought in an ordinance under which any cases of violence against health professionals shall be liable for up to 7 years of imprisonment. The minimum punishment in such a case would be 6 months.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday Union Minister categorized attack on health professionals as a non-bailable offense and ensured that tough measures would be taken against those who attack doctors & front-line health professionals. The investigation for such cases shall be carried out within a defined timeline.
“Such crime will now be cognizable and non-bailable. An investigation will be done in 30 days. Accused can be sentenced from 3 months-5 years and penalized from Rs 50,000 up to Rs 2 lakh,” Javadekar said.
“Health workers who are trying to save the country from this epidemic are unfortunately facing attacks. No incident of violence or harassment, against them, will be tolerated. An ordinance has been brought in, it’ll be implemented after President’s sanction,” he further added.
In the conference, Javadekar also mentioned that health professionals & doctors should also be compensated for any damage done to their clinics or vehicles. The compensation would be charged by the accused as twice the market value of the damaged property.