Team Herald
PANJIM: Incidents of violence against medical professionals and medical care establishments are being reported in the State, and despite that fact that an Act is in place to prevent such nuisances; sadly Goa Police has little knowledge in handling such incidents.
In a recent standing order, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jaspal Singh has acknowledged that there appears to be a lack of understanding on the part of the local police in handling of incidents of violence against medical professionals and medical care establishments in the State.
“To have clarity in this regard, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to handle violence against medical professionals and medical care establishments has been issued for the benefit of investigating officers,” he stated asking the Superintendents of Police to ensure compliance of directions.
The order apprises the police about, “The Goa Medicare Service Personnel and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property Act” enacted in the year 2013 to prevent such violence.
The instructions also cover how a police officer should move ahead with a case wherein a doctor has been accused of medical negligence.
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Some of the salient features include:
A) Nature of violence against medical professionals and medical care establishments
Violence encountered against medical professionals and medical care establishments are categorized as follows:
1. Verbal abuse by the attendants
2. Creating scary situations by the mob
3. Intimidation
4. Assault on medical professionals and medical care establishment staff
5. Ransacking of the medical care establishment
6. Preventing medical professionals from discharging his/her duties
7. Creating problems/nuisance to the out-patients and in-patients
8. Entering the restricted areas like Operating Theatres, Intensive Care Units, Documentation Office and other areas in the medical care establishment
9. Damaging the property and documents
10. Refusal to take the dead body by the attendants and to pay the bills
11. Directly or indirectly putting pressure on the medical professionals and medical care establishment staff/ extortion
12. Snatching the medical records/ documents
13. Forcing the medical professionals to treat unrelated treatment.
14. Revengeful act by the patients or their attendees
15. Unnecessary intervention of media and pressure groups
Precautionary & preventive steps
1. Police personnel at the police station level shall have contact numbers and addresses of all medical professionals/ medical care establishments in their jurisdiction
2. Under the new system, the Beat Officer shall have such numbers and addresses in his beat area
3. Police Stations in-charge shall form a WhatsApp group of the medical professionals along with beat officers so that there can be regular exchange of information pertaining to any incident of violence
4. A WhatsApp group at SP/DCP level may be considered with the medical professionals/medical care establishments of the jurisdiction
5. Sensitization of policemen about the provisions of the K’taka Prohibition of Violence against Medicare Service Personnel and Damage to Property in Medicare Service Institutions Act, 2009.
