Kolkata Rape Case: What is the Central Protection Act, which the doctors are demanding, why is the health Ministry objecting? Know the whole matter

Central Protection Act: People across the country are angry about the brutality that happened to the female doctor in Kolkata. Doctors have demanded that a central law be made for their safety in hospitals.

Kolkata Rape-Murder Case

Due to the brutality of a female doctor in the hospital in Kolkata, the anger among the doctors is at its peak. Doctors across the country have been protesting for more than a week, due to which health services have been affected. The doctors who went on strike demanded the 'Central Protection Act'. Doctors say that only through this can their safety be ensured in hospitals. The same demand has been placed before the government. 

However, the Central health Ministry is not showing interest in fulfilling this demand of the doctors. Doctors' organizations from every corner of the country have demanded this law. Due to the demand not being met, the movement is also intensifying. In such a situation, let us try to know what the Central Protection Act is and why it is being demanded. Also, let us know the reasons why the health Ministry is not accepting the demands of the doctors. 

What is the Central Protection Act?

The 'Prevention of Violence against Healthcare Professionals and Clinical Establishments Bill, 2022' is known as the 'Central Protection Act for Doctors'. This bill was introduced in the lok sabha in 2022. The purpose of this bill is to define violence against doctors and provide punishment for the person doing so. The bill has provisions like preventing violence, giving punishment, giving information about violence, spreading the message of not doing violence to the people, and redressal of complaints.

The health workers who are to be brought under the purview of this proposed bill include medical practitioners, mental health doctors, dentists, nursing professionals, medical and nursing students, health professionals, and support staff of hospitals. This bill was introduced in parliament in 2022. But the then health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the government decided not to pursue it as most of its objectives were covered in the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance 2020. 

Why is the government objecting to the Central Protection Act?

News agency PTI quoted sources in the health Ministry as saying that bringing a central law based on the incident at RG Kar Medical College is not going to bring much change. A case of rape murder of a female doctor was reported in RG Kar Medical college itself. Sources said that cases like crime and rape are dealt with under the current laws. 

He further said that 26 states and union territories including West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Assam, Karnataka, and Kerala have passed laws to protect health workers. In all these states, these crimes are cognizable and non-bailable. However, the indian Medical Association (IMA), which is demanding a central law, says that even after this, attacks on doctors are not stopping.

"Bringing an ordinance or a central law based on the RG Kar case will not make much of a difference. The RG Kar incident was not a case of violence between a patient and a doctor," an official source said. "Being a public facility, hospitals cannot be turned into fortresses. We have urged doctors to call off their strike as patient care is being affected," he added.