Legal shield for lifesavers
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: June 21, 2021 -

FOR many families, who have lost their loved ones due to Covid-19 or to other ailments prior to outbreak of the pandemic, it is but natural to suspect lack of compassionate treatment by the healthcare professionals as the prime reason for the untimely demise of the liveable patients.

Though the level of professionalism among healthcare service providers in developed, developing and underdeveloped nations varies, the fact remains that over 160 crore Covid patients across the world, including more than 28 crores in India have overcome the contemporary world's greatest health threat.

Recovery of such huge numbers of infected people underscores the invaluable service being rendered by doctors, nurses and their support personnel.

Thus, instances of family members and relatives turning violent in hospitals over death of patients or unruly citizens targeting the off-duty health professionals amid the critical pandemic situation are both unwarranted and unjustifiable for healthcare service providers cannot guarantee life to everybody.

Regardless of the aspersions cast on professionalism of doctors and nurses, the prevailing health crisis has brought to the fore the importance of doctors and support staff in successfully tackling the infectious disease.

It must be acknowledged that Covid-19 has been sickening millions of people and outpacing the capacity of hospitals to meet demand for vital medical resources, such as medical oxygen, ventilators, special or intensive care unit beds, etc.

The pandemic has brought fear, uncertainty and anxiety among people in an unprecedented fashion with healthcare professionals at the forefront of both working tirelessly to serve humanity and all the while battling with the emotions of separation of own families or failure to save the patients.

In-spite of the challenges they are facing due to infrastructural shortcomings and personal reasons, healthcare professionals have been able to save many a precious lives, thereby signifying that fatalities of patients due to unavoidable circumstances cannot be entirely attributed to medical negligence.

However, it is truly disheartening when one hears about incidents of abuse and ostracism against doctors and nurses amid the crisis situation. Stray incidents of distraught patients and their agitated friends or relatives turning violent against doctors and nurses are certain to put the medical community in a state of fear and regret for choosing a career when the society does not support them.

Due to such reprisals, it is obvious that a majority of doctors must now be unwilling to motivate their children to pursue this profession, once revered by the society not too long ago.

Therefore, it is imperative that the government of Manipur promptly execute the latest directive of the Home Ministry to register cases and invoke the stringent Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Act, 2020 against those who indulge in assault on doctors and healthcare professionals.

With the second wave of the pandemic continuing to wreak havoc and threat of another wave of the infectious disease looming large, the state needs to ensure fullest protection to those leading the fight against the virus.

Along with making it crystal clear that the 2020 legislation, if enforced, entails punishment with jail term of up to five years and Rs 2-5 lakh fine against the perpetrators, the ministry's directives to register FIR, carry out awareness activities to highlight the valuable contribution being made by doctors and other healthcare personnel in the fight against Covid-19, ensuring adequate security at healthcare facilities and strict compliance with safety norms to ensure doctors and nurses do not contract the disease themselves should be implemented in the right earnest.

Every effort should be made to make the masses understand the value of the medical fraternity in our lives and that the life-saving service they are rendering, especially in these critical hours of the coronavirus pandemic ought to be commended.