New Delhi, August 13: The Central Government is planning to introduce a bill for law on violence against doctors, said reports. The health ministry is planning to send the bill to the cabinet soon as the draft is in its final stage of preparation, said reports. Doctors' Strike: Resident Doctors Association at AIIMS Issue 48-Hour Ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee-Led Government in West Bengal.

The government’s move comes months after doctors staged a massive protest and held strikes across the country following attacks on doctors in a Kolkata hospital. Principal, Vice Principal of NRS Medical College Resign as Doctors' Strike Continues.

About 8 lakh doctors working in the different parts of the country went on strike in June as they demanded better working conditions and after reports of repeated incidents of violence from patents’ families.

The final straw was a brutal attack on a junior doctor in Kolkata. A group of men attacked Paribaha Mukhopadhyay at NRS hospital when the doctor was walking down a corridor.

The men who attacked the doctor were identified as relatives of 75-year-old Mohammed Sayeed. However, the doctors attacked where not even treating the named patient. The hospital witnessed violence on a large scale, said witnesses.

Dr Rajan Sharma, the president-elect of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), was quoted saying by The Guardian that, “The events in Kolkata were just a flashpoint. This has gone on for too long. We have a right to security as ordinary citizens. This violence against doctors is not acceptable in any civilised society.”

Earlier this year, a group of doctors had met minister Harsh Vardhan and demanded "safety and security" of doctors in the hospital premises. Marches were held in AIIMS campus under the banner of the Resident Doctors' Association.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 13, 2019 05:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).