Indian-American doctors condemn violence against physicians

"Physicians in India feel threatened and their lives are in danger. Some hospital administrators have begun to hire bouncers, whose imposing presence deters patients' relatives from aggressive behaviour," he said yesterday.

"The medical fraternity in several states is on strike due to the recent incidents of violence against doctors. This is not good for the people committed to care and also is not benefiting the doctors," Lodha said.

AAPI is an umbrella organisation of Indian-American doctors and has nearly 90 local chapters.

"Violence against doctors has reached such an extreme in India that the medical staff is afraid to come to work and they need a police presence in the hospitals where they work," Lodha said.

About 49 doctors have been attacked in the state of Maharashtra alone since 2015, he said.

"The violence against physicians in India will put a dent in the area where we have been growing rapidly as world leaders and will cause irrevocable damage to the health industry in India and our image will be tarnished for ever," he said.