Chandigarh: Dr Balbir Singh, Punjab health and family welfare minister demanded ₹10 crore ex gratia from the Centre and the West Bengal government for the parents of the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered in Kolkata, besides seeking speedy justice for victim and exemplary punishment for culprits. Extending support to the doctor fraternity’s protest for justice, he urged the Union government to bring a stringent central law to prevent assault against medical professionals across the country.
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Dr. Singh held a meeting with representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMSA), Resident Doctors Association and Medical & Dental Teachers Association. He assured the agitators that he will write to the Union health minister for bringing a central law for prevention of assault against medical professionals. He directed department’s officials to constitute district health boards to conduct security audit at all the state health institutes to ensure safety of medical professionals, especially female staff.
Dr Singh further directed the heads of the government health institutes to implement the standard operating procedures (SoPs) relating to security and infrastructure within 48 hours at their institutes. He categorically said there should be no dark spots and female medical professionals on night shift must be accompanied by two male staff whenever they have to go to see patients in distant wards. The minister urged the doctors to resume their duty as patients, especially the poor, are suffering. The PCMSA has submitted a memorandum containing recommendations on ensuring adequate round-the-clock security arrangements at public healthcare centres of the state and has given a call that if the demands are not met till September 9, the cadre will be forced to proceed for an indefinite suspension of services. Among their demands is deployment of security guards at the health centres. The minister assured that the demands would be met by the end of this month.