A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday asked the State Police Chief (SPC) to instruct all station house officers (SHOs) to act swiftly on complaints of attacks against doctors, nurses and other health-care workers, and to oversee the investigation into such cases.
Justices Devan Ramachandran and Kauser Edappagath passed the directive when a review petition filed by the Kerala Private Hospitals Association relating to the COVID-19 treatment charges fixed by the State in private hospitals came up for hearing.
The court asked the SPC to see that the investigation into the cases registered in connection with the attacks on doctors and other health-care workers were concluded without delay and the prosecution was taken forward swiftly. The court made it clear the circular by the SPC on the issue should percolate down to the lower-level officials of the police.
The court observed that attacks on doctors and other health-care workers could never be tolerated. The steps now taken by the government were only in a nascent stage. It should be enforced across State strictly.
When the petition came up for hearing, senior government pleader S. Kannan submitted that a total number of 278 cases were registered in connection with attacks on doctors and other health-care providers and hospitals. As many as 441 persons were arrested and produced before various courts. Earnest efforts were being made to arrest 95 absconding accused.
The court said the attack on doctors and health-care workers could not be tolerated. At the same time, care had to be taken by doctors and health-care workers while dealing with the patients and their care-givers.
The government should sensitize people that such incidents would not be taken lightly and that such actions were punishable under the Kerala Health Care Service Persons and Health Care Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act 2012.
The court also directed the State government to explain the necessity of having issued an order fixing fee for treatment of post-COVID complications in government hospitals for persons in the above poverty line category.
