Doctor's Protection Act in India: A Continuing Failure of SDG 8

'No physician, however conscientious or careful, can tell what day or hour he may not be the object of some undeserved attack, malicious accusation, blackmail or suit for damages'

The surge in violence against doctors in India in recent few years has become a critical issue that not only endangers the safety of healthcare professionals but also undermines the country’s progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. This violence, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues unstable, revealing significant flaws in the current legislative framework and poor enforcement mechanisms.

A Growing Crisis: Pre- and Post-COVID-19

Even before the pandemic, doctors in India were no strangers to violence, often facing threats and assaults due to patient dissatisfaction and systemic inefficiencies. The situation deteriorated further during the COVID-19 pandemic, when overwhelmed healthcare systems and public fear led to a significant increase in violent incidents. The government responded with the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Act, 2020, which made violence against healthcare workers a non-bailable offense. However, this legislation has proven insufficient, as recent incidents have tragically highlighted.The pandemic also saw a parallel outbreak of misinformation. Conspiracy theories, false claims about treatments, and skepticism towards vaccines spread like wildfire, fueled by social media and other platforms. This spread misinformation eroded trust in healthcare providers and were to blame for most of the cases of assault upon doctor and healthcare professionals.

Recently, the horrific rape and murder of a junior doctor in Kolkata shocked the nation, drawing attention to the extreme vulnerabilities faced by healthcare professionals.Last year’s report by DW shown that Interns, students are at risk in state-run hospitals.Additionally, other incidents, such as the brutal assault on a doctor in Hyderabad following a patient’s death, further exemplify the persistent and pervasive violence that continues to plague the medical profession in India. These cases underscore the urgent need for stronger protections and better enforcement of existing laws.

The Legislative Response and Its Shortcomings

The Doctor's Protection Act and other relevant legislation seek to protect healthcare professionals via criminalizing violence against them. However, it is still difficult to enforce these laws. A centralized database which would contain all instances of violence against doctors does not exist, preventing assessment of magnitude of such incidents and hence obligatory consequences.

Furthermore, although the laws may be nominally present, their enforcement is severely limited by sociocultural factors and institutional strictures that underlie this type of violence. Consequently, patients are left exposed to possible violent acts in hospitals since they do not provide sufficient security and assistance services for health workers thereby contradicting their essence.

SDG 8 and Employment Challenges in the Medical Profession

SDG 8 focuses on promoting sustained, inclusive economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. The ongoing violence against doctors is a clear violation of the principles of decent work. Additionally, the pervasive fear and insecurity faced by healthcare professionals contribute to broader employment challenges within the medical profession.

The hostile work environment has led to a decline in the number of individuals willing to pursue or continue careers in healthcare, exacerbating existing shortages of medical professionals in India. This trend is particularly concerning given the growing demand for healthcare services, both in urban and rural areas. The fear of violence and the lack of adequate protection are driving talented professionals away from the sector, which in turn hampers the overall economic growth and stability of the country.

Moreover, the stress and psychological toll on healthcare workers due to this violence contributes to burnout, further reducing productivity and job satisfaction. This situation is directly at odds with the goals of SDG 8, which emphasizes the importance of providing safe, secure, and fulfilling employment opportunities.

Case: Congress Party's Commitment to SDG 8 and Doctor's Protection

In their manifesto for the last Lok Sabha election, the Indian National Congress highlighted several initiatives directly aligned with SDG 8. These initiatives aim to create full employment and ensure high productivity gains, while also addressing the safety and security of healthcare professionals.Key commitments include:

Labour Law Reforms: The Congress pledged to review and amend labour laws to better balance labour and capital, aiming for full employment and high productivity.

Gender Inequality: The manifesto stressed tackling workplace gender discrimination and enforcing "Same Work, Same Wages" to prevent wage disparities against women.

Urban Employment: Congress proposed an urban employment programme to provide jobs for the urban poor, especially in urban infrastructure projects.

Gig and Unorganised Workers: The party committed to enacting laws to protect gig and unorganised workers, enhancing their social security and legal rights.

Along with these,they also promised to

1. Double the hardship allowance of doctors serving in rural areas and provide suitable residence facilities
2. Pass a law making it an offence to commit acts of violence against doctors and other health professionals while performing their duties.

These commitments highlight the party's focus on creating decent work conditions, promoting economic growth, and addressing the safety concerns of healthcare workers, all of which are central to achieving the objectives of SDG 8.

Conclusion

This situation refers to the continued use of violence on practitioners in India which affects greatly SDG 8 objectives accomplishment. In addition to putting health professionals’ safety at risk, it creates more difficulties regarding job opportunities within medicine thereby curbing economic advancement and stability. Also, there is lack of adequate funding in the health sector by the government that aggravates these issues thus making medical personnel to be susceptible and not well-off. Addressing these challenges necessitates prompt and coordinated measures like strengthening legislation, improving enforcement of laws, enhancing funds allocated to health sector, changing traditional beliefs so as to make certain every healthcare worker enjoys a safe working environment.

Thanks for reading! I suggest you go through this if you are interested in finding out more about the causes of these incidents

There is also a detailed case study by WHO on various countries on the issue of Workplace Violence in the Health Sector