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The ministry mandated the Head of the Institution to file an Institutional FIR within 6 hours of any violence against healthcare workers on duty.
- The order takes cognisance of rising violence against doctors and other healthcare staff mostly perpetuated either by the patient or their relatives.
- Social instability, deterioration of personal interrelationships, the unacceptability of complications and death, etc. are key causes of such violence
- Public health is a ‘State’ subject and there is no Central law for preventing violence against healthcare workers (VAHCW).
Current status of VAHCW
According to the WHO:
- Health workers are at high risk of violence all over the world.
- Between 8% and 38% of health workers suffer physical violence while other face verbal aggression.
- Most violence is perpetrated by patients and visitors.
- Also, in disaster and conflict situations, health workers may become the targets of collective or political violence.
Consequences of VAHCW
- Negative impact on the psychological and physical well-being of health-care staff.
- Deterioration in the quality of care provided.
- Threat to equal access to primary health care if health workers abandon their profession because of the threat of violence.
Key Initiatives to Prevent VAHCW
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