The government yesterday announced that a new decree would be issued soon under which anyone attacking health workers battling the coronavirus pandemic could face up to seven years prison and hefty fines.
The move came after a spate of attacks on health workers around the country from people worried they were carrying the virus into the community.
This week, a mob attacked an ambulance carrying the corpse of a doctor who succumbed to the coronavirus in the Chennai, believing it to be unsafe for the neighbourhood.
“Health workers who are trying to save the country from this epidemic are unfortunately facing attacks. No incident of violence or harassment, against them will be tolerated,” said Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister Amit Shah addressed medical association through a video conference, and assured them of safety and urging them to withdraw a symbolic protest they were planning this month.
The measure has raised some hopes in the medical fraternity but they say this is a temporary relief and a lot more needs to be done in order to stop the violence.
The Indian Medical Association said: “It is an immensely satisfying movement. However it will not stop the future violence. There are lots of limitations of this ordinance but now at least we know that the government means business and the society as one is by doctors’ side in condemning violence against the doctors,” IMA official Dr R V Asokan said. 
“There is a lot more that has to be done to eliminate violence in the healthcare sector but this is the first step in the right direction.”
There has been a significant number of incidents of violence on the health workers across the country, following which the doctors had called for a nationwide black day.
Dr Vijay Kumar Gurjar of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi expressed some relief but he also echoed Asokan.
“We welcome the decision. It was a long-pending demand. We have been protesting for a very long time... right from Maharashtra incident in 2015 in which a resident doctor was assaulted by a deceased person’s relatives. We worked wearing helmets as a symbol of protest to the recent assaults on doctors. But this time it is too much, therefore it was a much required step to be taken by the government.”
Dr Adarsh Pratap Singh, President of AIIMS Resident Doctors Association, said: “This is a good step for the medical fraternity keeping in view the pandemic situation. Something is better than nothing. But a lot needs to be done.”
He said “the proposed central protection act needs to be implemented. The government should invest in infrastructure, primary health sector and human resource in the field of medical profession. They should make good referral policies so that people need not to come from far off places just for an ordinary fever. It poses unnecessary burden on both doctor and patient.”
Dr Saurabh Sachar of Safdarjung Hospital said: “It’s a great decision. Many other countries also have stringent laws to protect their healthcare workers. I would like to thank the government for enactment of this long pending legislative demand. Hopefully this will go a long way in instilling a sense of security in the healthcare workers and act as a much required detriment for elements who resort to violence against doctors.”