The Medical Protection Bill of Jharkhand seeking to prevent doctors, healthcare staff and hospitals from attacks by patient parties was sent to the Select Committee after MLAs cutting across party lines opposed to some of its provisions. The Bill Jharkhand Medical Service, Medical Service Association (Prevention of Violence and Property Damage) was introduced in the House, but it was not passed for third time.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren, after going through the Bill urged the Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto to send the bill to the select committee for proper study and give its opinion within 30 days after he noticed that as many as 30 proposals for amendment in the bill had come.
In the last Cabinet meeting, the Bill got the nod. Doctors of State have been demanding implementation of the Medical Protection Act in the state for a long time. The bill was introduced to ensure security to doctors and para-medical staff in Jharkhand.
Opposition members had been demanding amendments in the bill as they claim that it does not provide any security to patients. Ajsu legislator Lambodar Mahto criticized the bill demanding a Patient Protection Bill and explained how dangerous the bill could be in the state where people die in government hospitals due to negligence.
Some MLAs have opposed some of the provisions of the bill and demanded that provisions for the protection of the patients’ rights should be there in the bill.
The medical protection bill was introduced in 2013 and 2017 too, but it could be implemented after it was sent to select committee. Some of the provisions of bill include jail term of up to two years and a monetary fine of up to Rs 50,000 against any person found guilty of assault on medical professionals and vandalising government and private hospital properties.
The Cabinet gave its nod to the bill as there were repeated demands of the medical fraternity in the state for such a law. The state has witnessed several cases of attack in hospitals involving medical professionals and family members of patients. Two such attacks happened this year in Garhwa and Dhanbad districts, leading to strikes of medical professionals in respective districts.
BJP legislator Amar Kumar Bouri said there are several provisions to ensure security to all. In this situation a special bill to give protection to a particular section is not advisable. He said it often comes into the knowledge that doctors run around and beat relatives of a patient when they protest in case of death of a patient due to negligence.
Another BJP legislator supported Bouri saying one can easily imagine the behavior of a high handed doctor in the state where doctor like Dr O.P.Anand did not hesitate to misbehave with the health minister in his home constituency.
The not passing of bill is setback for medical fraternity in State as Jharkhand is 24th state to introduce Medical Protection Act in state. Many states including Bihar, Odisha and Bengal already have medical protection act in their state.
