Violence against healthcare professionals by country

Violence against healthcare professionals in India occurs in the form of physical violence, verbal abuse, aggressive gesture, blackmailing, mob lynching and cyber bullying. The Indian Medical Association has reported that 75% of doctors face verbal or physical abuse in hospital premises and fear of violence was the most common cause for stress for 43% doctors. The highest number of violence was reported at the point of emergency care and 70% of the cases of violence were initiated by the patient's relatives. The incidence of reported violent crimes against doctors in India has been increasing from 2006 to 2017, with the highest violence rate occurring in Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Violence against doctors has also increased in other parts of Asia, such as China, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Response from healthcare staff

Doctors' protest demanding justice for a fellow doctor who was a victim of mob violence

Due to the increasing reports of violence against doctors, the main source of stress for doctors was fear of violence, followed by fear of being sued. 62% of doctors who answered a survey reported that they were unable to see their patients without any fear of violence, and 57% had considered hiring security staff at their workplace.

When healthcare workers were assaulted, they frequently resorted to peaceful strikes, which sometimes included termination of ward and emergency services. During such protests, it was not uncommon for the public to attack the protesters.

In a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, 40% of doctors reported being exposed to violence in the last year. The point of delivery of emergency services was the most common place of violence and verbal abuse was the most common form of violence. The most common symptoms experienced by the doctors who were subjected to violence were anger, frustration and irritability. Out of those who were exposed to violence, only 44% reported the incidence to the authorities.

Measures for reducing violence

In the past 10 years, nineteen state governments of India have passed laws for the safeguard of physicians. However, the law could not be effectively implemented due to resistance from administration. Some suggestions for reducing violence against healthcare staff are: posting security personnel at the hospital entrance, confiscation of weapons before entering the hospital, mandatory registration for all visitors at the reception, restricting the number of bystanders to two for every patient, displaying of laws related to punishment for assaulting healthcare staff on the walls of hospitals, creation of an emergency protocol and evacuation plan in case of major violence. Giving training on communication skills for healthcare staff and providing the services of counselors for emotional support could likely reduce violence.

Timeline of recent major incidents

• 1 April 2020: Doctors at Hyderabad's Gandhi hospital were attacked after a patient with multiple illnesses died of COVID-19.
• 20 February 2020: A senior gynaecologist at Calcutta Medical Research Institute Hospital was allegedly slapped by the husband of a deceased patient after he conveyed the news of the patient's death to him.
• 31 October 2019: Five Goons asked two residents for their stethoscopes and upon denial snatched it and beat them before easily escaping on motorbikes in Varanasi.
• 14 June 2019: Goons tied a doctor to a tree, gangraped his wife and robbed his money and belongings in the Gaya district of Bihar.
• 14 June 2019: A veterinary doctor was manhandled by the owners of a Labrador dog in Kerala.
• 11 June 2019: Relatives of a 75-year-old patient hurled a brick to the head of a junior resident doctor at NRS Medical College Hospital. The doctor suffered from a skull fracture and required ICU admission.
• 5 June 2019: A Kolkata doctor was beaten up after a 6-year-old boy under his care succumbed to death.
• 21 May 2019: The drunk bystanders of a patient attacked a doctor at Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences, Telangana.
• 12 May 2019: Dikom tea garden physician was assaulted by a mob of tea garden workers in Assam.
• 27 February 2019: The grandmother of a 2-year old assaulted a junior doctor at Gandhi Hospital, Hyderabad.
• 1 January 2019: A senior pediatrician was injured at the rib and the lung by the relatives of a patient at Hyderabad, Telangana.
• 9 February 2019: An eye-specialist on duty at Central Hospital, Digboi, Assam was assaulted by a mob.
• 23 December 2018: A doctor was assaulted at a Nursing Home in Kolkata by the bystanders of an 18-yer old patient presenting with chest pain.
• 2 December 2018: A doctor was assaulted at Bhadrak District Hospital, Uttar Pradesh by some residents of Kaupur village.
• 25 November 2018: Two nurses of Patna Medical College were physically assaulted by the attendants of a patient.
• November 2018: A doctor at Chengelpettu Medical College, Tamil Nadu was assaulted by friends of a patient.
• 15 October 2018: A scheduled caste doctor was assaulted by the relatives of an upper cast patient, demanding the service of an upper caste doctor at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
• 30 August 2018: A patient, who was a police officer, slapped the attending doctor on his face at CMRI hospital, Ekbalpore, West Bengal.
• 19 May 2018: Two resident doctors of JJ Hospital, Mumbai were beaten up by a patient's relative.
• 11 April 2017: A patient physically assaulted a doctor at Alappuzha General Hospital, Kerala.
• 15 March 2017: Orthopedic doctor of Dhule government Hospital, Maharashtra was thrashed and physically assaulted by a patient's kin.
• August 2016: Two medical residents working at Sasoon Medical College, Pune were physically assaulted by the relatives of a patient who died at the facility.

See also

• 2019 West Bengal doctors' strike