Very often, we come across news of assaults on doctors and, on some occasions, even the killing of doctors on trivial matters in different hospitals across India. There are some people who harass and abuse doctors physically and mentally on the slightest pretext for alleged negligence without going into the merits of a case. It has become increasingly common for doctors in India to be jostled, roughed up, or beaten by angry relatives of patients.
Surveys by the Indian Medical Association reveal that about 75 percent of doctors have complained of verbal abuse and 12 percent of physical violence in India. Assaulting a doctor when the patient dies has become the norm in India. We also see frequent incidents of vandalism of hospital property in different health establishments across India on various pretexts.
Acts of assault on doctors and vandalism of hospital property in Assam have also registered a spurt in recent years. Ransacking of hospitals has become commonplace across the state, irrespective of the educational level of the people comprising the mob. There have been several recent incidents of assault on doctors and vandalism of hospital property in Assam.
While some incidents are reported, most go unreported. The repeated incidents of assault on doctors imply that the doctors in Assam are not secure at all. Today, the security of doctors has become a matter of serious concern for the medical fraternity in the state.
Doctors are not trained for combat; they are trained to.
