SC to hear tomorrow plea seeking security to doctors at govt hospitals

The Supreme Court will on Tuesday hear a plea seeking safety and security of doctors in government hospitals across the country in the wake of the assault on two junior doctors in NRS hospital in Kolkata earlier this month.

A vacation bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Surya Kant agreed to take up the public interest litigation tomorrow after the petitioner, advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, mentioned the matter and sought an urgent hearing.

In his plea, Srivastava has sought a direction from the apex court for the deployment of government-appointed security personnel at all government hospitals as well as the formulation of strict guidelines for the purpose.

He submitted that "strictest action" be taken against those who assaulted the doctors at the Kolkata hospital. The doctors were allegedly attacked by relatives of a patient who died on June 10 at the hospital.

Highlighting incidents of attack on government doctors by attendants and relatives of patients, the petition cited a study by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) which stated that more than 75 per cent of doctors across the country have faced some form of violence.

Meanwhile, the strike by doctors in West Bengal entered the seventh day on Monday. The Kolkata incident has led to protests by doctors across the country.