Delhi Resident Doctors take Self Defence Lessons, High Court takes cognizance

New Delhi: In order to tackle with the rising number of violence cases against medical fraternity, the doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) decided to take steps to protect themselves by learning self defence. The AIIMS administration also  permitted the doctors for the said move.

It is reported that the AIIMS doctors will take self-defense training from black belt champions from May 15, 2017.

Speaking about the value of self-defense in violence cases at work place, Dr Pankaj FORDA president said, "Self-defence skills were needed by all doctors. In the past one year, there have been four instances each of violence against doctors at AIIMS and Ambedkar hospital and three each at Lok Nayak, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Acharya Bhikshu."

Dr Vijay Kumar, president of AIIMS RDA said, "Two black belt champions will impart self-defence skills to interested candidates daily from 6-7pm and 7-8 pm at AIIMS as "Prevention is better than cure."

“We understand their pain in that moment of crisis when their loved ones are suffering. But they cannot take law in their hands as we also try our level best to treat them," he added.

Read also: AIIMS resident docs wear helmets in support of strike

The doctors of Lok Nayak Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College have already undergone similar training.

Dr Yugal Karkhur, president of the RDA of Maulana Azad Medical College said, "We were taught by Delhi Police personnel how to defend ourselves from aggressive attendants or evacuate safely in case of a dangerous situation."

"Self-defence is only way to stay safe in this violent atmosphere. Increasing security or deploying marshals doesn't really help much," said Dr Vivek Chauksey of Lady Hardinge Medical College.

Dr Vinod, general secretary of MAMC's Resident Doctors' Association, told TOI, "It is humiliating and frustrating either to be beaten up or abused for no fault. If there is overcrowding or no ICU bed is available, how is the doctor to blame?"

HC seeks Centre, Delhi Govt's Response

Reacting over the AIIMS doctor's safety move against increasing number of violence cases, the Delhi High Court took cognizance of a news report on increasing violent attacks on government doctors by patients and their relatives and asked the Centre and AAP government to apprise it about the steps taken.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gital Mittal and Justice Anu Malhotra took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the report that doctors in public hospitals were being subjected to extreme violence and issued notice to the Centre and the Delhi government.

Reading out the report that the resident doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have decided to take self-defence classes, the bench observed that "this needs to taken care by the authorities and steps have to be taken in this regard".

"This incident is of great concern for all the doctors of the public hospitals as it relates to their safety," the bench said, adding that "violence is not only physical, the doctors are being verbally abused".

Besides the secretaries of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Centre and the state government, the bench also directed Indian Medical Association (IMA) to place before it within 10 days a status report with regard to the adequate security at government hospitals to avoid such incidents.

It sought to know from the both the governments the existing number of hospitals in Delhi and the beds available with them. The court also asked them to provide details on outdoor and indoor patients visiting per day in the hospitals.

It listed the matter for further hearing on May 19, while expressing concern over the report that nearly one in every two doctors faced violence at public hospitals.

It said the authorities needed to take the issue seriously as the number of patients have increased manifold in last few years, which may not be coping with the number of hospitals.

"The doctors of the public hospitals have to be protected from such violence," the bench said, adding that it is very humiliating and frustrating either to get beaten up or abused for no fault.