Stringent legal actions should be taken in medical negligence cases, demands NGO fighting for medical justice

"The doctors guilty of malpractices are given warnings, suspended for around three months but the number of licences being cancelled is almost zero. Stringent punishments like permanent cancellation of the licence will give justice and also act as a deterrent for others,"

Kolkata: A city-based non-governmental body fighting for medical justice in India on Tuesday called for stringent legal action against 'medical negligence' and said it would approach the Prime Minister to officially observe 'Patients' Day'.

The organisation People for Better Treatment (PBT) which observes May 28 as 'Patients' Day' that coincides with the death anniversary of medical negligence victim Anuradha Saha, has filed several PILs and court cases over lapses in medical treatment but regretted that no stringent action is taken against the accused.

"The doctors guilty of malpractices are given warnings, suspended for around three months but the number of licences being cancelled is almost zero. Stringent punishments like permanent cancellation of the licence will give justice and also act as a deterrent for others," PBT chief Kunal Saha said.

Saha, also a doctor by profession, said they would approach the Prime Minister and the Union Health Minister to officially observe 'Patients' Day'. This would help in spreading awareness across the country and patients will know about their rights of getting medical records within 72 hours, obtain approximate costs before treatments and so on.

Saha said there is a rising trend of victims of medical negligence or their families coming forward to seek justice.

"I personally get as many as five emails from victims of medical malpractices every day and there is a rising trend for sure. It is due to the fact that people are now aware and they are brave enough to fight against injustice," Saha told IANS.

He said the State Medical Council did not do justice to the victims.