New Delhi, March 17 (IANS). The issue of safety of doctors and patients and violent disputes between them in the hospital was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. According to a recent national study, about 7.9 per cent of doctors have faced some form of violence or abuse in the past year, while about 3.9 per cent of cases have involved physical assault.
In these attacks, attempts were made to hurt doctors. Their hospitals or clinics were also vandalized and medical equipment damaged. The most worrying fact is that about 48 percent of such incidents are not reported because doctors are losing faith in the administrative system. This information was given by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Laxmikant Vajpayee in the House on Tuesday.
He said that incidents of assault, vandalism and harm to doctors by relatives of patients have come to light in states like West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. This problem is no longer limited to metros only, but has also spread to small towns and nursing homes including cities like Meerut. Many times, due to dissatisfaction of the patient’s family, the safety of the doctors gets endangered, due to which the treatment system is also affected.
Laxmikant Vajpayee said that if we look at the data of government hospitals of Delhi, 149 such incidents have come to light between 2021 and 2025. This number has been worrying. 49 such cases have been registered in 2024 and 48 in 2025. In our country, doctors are considered to be the form of God. Doctors and health workers are the true warriors of our society, who are busy day and night saving people’s lives. But, it is extremely unfortunate that in the last few years, tension between doctors and patients has increased due to bitterness and distrust and incidents of violence are continuously being reported in hospitals.
BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP called it a very serious and sensitive issue and said that he wanted to draw the attention of the House towards it. Such incidents weaken the trust between doctor and patient and make the entire healthcare environment unsafe. Therefore, it is extremely important that the interests of everyone i.e. doctors, health workers and patients are protected.
He urged the government to set up an appeal committee at the state level under the chairmanship of a retired high court judge. ‘Doctor-Patient Safety Coordination Committee’ should be formed at the district level under the chairmanship of the District Judge. Timely disposal of all the cases coming here should be ensured. It is necessary to do this so that doctors can discharge their sacred duties without fear and patients and their families can also get timely justice.
–IANS
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