HC raps Centre for not giving no. of doctors in govt hospitals

The Delhi High Court today pulled up the Centre for its failure to provide the exact number of doctors in their hospitals, saying it seemed the government was not serious over the issue of doctors getting beaten up.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said it has initiated the issue on its own due to the growing incidents of attacks on government doctors by patients or their relatives.

"It is shocking that you (central government) do not have data of the doctors working with your hospitals. We are taking up the issue on our own to improve the situation, but the Centre says no data is available with them," the bench said, adding that this "information is vital of us".

It asked them to furnish details of the doctors and also the ratio of doctors-patients and patients-other personnel in the hospitals operated by the central government. The court asked the authorities to file status reports by July 25.

The problem, according to the bench, was that the doctors here have more work load which is not tolerated by the patients' relatives. The observations came during the hearing of a plea initiated by the court on its own after perusing a news report on rising violent attacks on the doctors.

It also asked the Delhi Police to furnish a status report with regard to providing security in hospitals for the doctors and against such violence.

The court on May 3 had initiated the PIL based on the report that doctors in public hospitals were being subjected to extreme violence.

Stressing the need to provide security and better facilities to the doctors and patients, the bench had asked the authorities about the number of cases they have lodged in this regard and also the prosecution carried out in each.

On perusing the report which said that resident doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences have decided to take self-defence classes, the bench had observed "this needs to be taken care by the authorities and steps have to be taken in this regard".