Amid widespread protests over the alleged rape and murder of a PG trainee doctor in Kolkata, the Union Health Ministry has given strict instructions to every medical institution in the country. The ministry said on Friday that it will be the responsibility of the heads of the institutions to register an institutional FIR within 6 hours of any incident of violence against any health worker on duty.

DGHS gave information
A circular was issued by Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Atul Goyal, which is for the directors and medical superintendents of central government hospitals including AIIMS and principals of all medical colleges across the country. The circular states, "In case of any kind of violence against any medical employee during duty, it will be the responsibility of the chief of the institution to register an institutional FIR within a maximum of 6 hours of the incident."

This is why the decision was taken

It further said that recently it has been observed that incidents of violence against doctors and other health workers have become common in government hospitals. It further said that many health workers have to face physical violence while on duty and many are threatened or abused. It further said that in most cases the violence is done by the patients or their attendants. For this reason, DGHS has taken this decision keeping in mind the safety of doctors and nurses.