This petition concerning the safety as well as the security of the Doctors in the Government hospitals was filed by Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava in regard of the incident which took place on June 11 in West Bengal, where the relatives of a patient who had passed away at the NRS Medical College in Kolkata attacked two of the junior doctors and seriously injured them. Therefore, in a show of solidarity, the medical practitioners across the entire nation chose to resort to the option of strike, leaving their patients in a lurch.

Prominently speaking, This petition has also tried to consign directions to the Union ministries of Home Affairs and Health and officials of the state of West Bengal to depute and pass on to the government-appointed security workforces and personnel at all the state-run hospitals across the country to ensure safety and security of the doctors.

Even as these protests are being continued throughout the nation, the highest Court of the country, i.e. The Supreme Court of India agreed on Monday to hear out upon this petition. A vacation bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Surya Kant has consented to hear upon this petition in the wake of the government doctors and their protests in Kolkata on Tuesday, June 18.

Due to these nationwide protests, the healthcare services in the country have been acutely and badly disrupted and messed up and many people are dying because of absence of doctors, as was stated by the plea before the court of Law.

The petition seeks that the Centre shall form certain guidelines for the safety of the doctors that are to be instigated in letter and in spirit.   The petition has also sought a direction to the West Bengal government to take stringent action against those who assaulted the doctor at NRS Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata last week.

Written by: Shreya Saxena