Now three years’ jail for attacking doctors in Maharashtra

MUMBAI - Any attack on doctors or medicare service personnel, including all medical and paramedical staff of hospitals, in Maharashtra could now mean a three-year jail term and a fine of Rs.50,000. The offence would be non-bailable.

The Maharashtra assembly Friday passed the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institution (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010, which will treat any attack on doctors as a non-bailable offence.

“Any offender, who commits or attempts to commit or abets or incites the commission of any act of violence….shall be punished with imprisonment which may be extended to three years and with fine, which may extend to Rs.50,000,” according to the bill tabled by Minister of State for Law and Justice Bhaskar Jadhav.

Jadhav said the government took the decision in view of the increased attacks on doctors by patients and their relatives.

The Indian Medical Association and several other state-level associations of medicare personnel had in the past stressed the need to check such incidents.

“With a view to effectively curb the occurrences of such incidents in the state, and to protect and safeguard the medicare service providers, we had considered it expedient to enact a special law,” Jadhav said.

The act also provides that the offender will be liable to pay compensation of twice the amount of damages or losses caused to the property, or as may be determined by the court.

“If the offender has not paid the compensation imposed under sub-section (1), the same sum shall be recovered as if it were and arrears of land revenue,” the Act mentions.

Besides this, a provision is made to establish an authority to hear grievances of victims of medical negligence or mismanagement and to aid and advise such victims for taking recourse to an appropriate forum for suitable relief.