The Kerala cabinet approved an ordinance, the Hospital Protection Act, aiming to protect all medical professionals from physical and verbal attacks in the state on Wednesday. The ordinance cleared during the weekly cabinet meeting is likely to be soon sent to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
According to ANI, “Kerala cabinet approves Hospital Protection Act Amendment Ordinance. The Cabinet meeting held today (Wednesday) has decided to bring the Kerala Health Care Service Workers and Health Care Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Amendment Ordinance, 2012.”
The ordinance ensures a minimum jail term of six months and a maximum jail term of seven years. The law protects healthcare workers from insults and abuses. The law also covers includes medical students and medical professionals practicing Ayurvedic and Homeopathic departments, said a report on Kerala Kaumudi.
If properties are destroyed in a medical institution, the accused will have to pay a fine extending up to six times the value of the property destroyed, as per the Ordinance.
The ordinance comes after the brutal murder of Dr Vandana Das by a man who was brought by the police to the hospital for a medical checkup. On Monday, another doctor was also attacked by a patient in Kochi.
Veteran Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran welcomed the Ordinance. "For a while things need to be observed on how they are and then a discussion can be held among the stakeholders to see if it needs to be fine-tuned further to make it a foolproof system," he said, as per IANS.
(More details are awaited)