Gauhati High Court asks Assam government to spell out measures taken to prevent attack on healthcare workers

The Gauhati High Court has asked the Assam government to spell out measures undertaken for the protection of frontline health care workers following a "horrific incident of brutal attack" on doctors, nurses, and ward boys by attendants of a Covid-19 patient in the Udali Model Hospital, Hojai, on June 1.

A bench of Chief Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Manas Ranjan Pathak told the Assam government to ensure with immediate effect that no weapon or firearms be allowed inside a hospital.

The court also directed that proper notice of warning be put in every hospital and medical colleges about the consequences to be followed in law if doctors, nurses, para-medical, and medical students, working in medicare service institutions, as defined under the Assam Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2011, were manhandled or attacked.

The court passed its order taking suo motu cognisance of the matter on a letter by a Supreme Court advocate, Sneha Kalita.

The court asked the Assam government to file a progress report with regard to the incident within two weeks. It also sought to know the measures already undertaken and proposed to be undertaken to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.

Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria and advocate Kalita submitted that suitable measures were required to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.

In her letter to the Chief Justice, the woman advocate contended, in this Covid-19 pandemic situation, when everyone was looking up to the medical fraternity and healthcare workers as God on mother earth for the sake of saving lives of their patients, instances like the one was horrifying and no words can be enough to criticise it. She sought strong action against the culprits as such incidents were a huge threat to efforts to combat the pandemic, besides being in gross violation of human rights and fundamental rights.

She added that the viral video of "merciless assault" was "painful and shocking".

Assam's Advocate General D Saikia submitted that as far as the incident of Udali was concerned, 24 accused were arrested within 24 hours. He said the state government was open to suggestions to prevent such incidents.