Now Delhi government hospitals can register FIR...click to know why

New Delhi, April 17: Incidents of an attack on doctors by patients or its attendants have increased nowadays. Confusion and medical illiteracy are the major reasons behind such incidents. After taking into consideration the Delhi government stand behind the state-run hospitals. Police complaint regarding incidents of abuse or violence by any patient or attendant at Delhi government hospitals would have to be filed by the hospital. Doctors or medical staff cannot be asked to do so, the city's health department ordered on Tuesday.

“An another feather in the cap of doctors for AAP Aam Aadmi Party government has decided to put onus of registering FIR/police complaint in case of any violence against medical staff doctors or nurses or paramedics on the head of the concerned institute,” said Delhi government in its tweet.

Delhi Health Secretary Sanjeev Khirwar also said non-compliance of the direction will be "viewed seriously” He further added that "The direction applies to Delhi government hospitals, but we are seeing if it can be extended to private hospitals in the city too."

"All Head of Departments of hospitals or medical institutions are hereby directed that in case of any incident involving abuse or violence by patients or their attendants, an FIR/complaint is required to be filed by the hospital or institution concerned immediately," the circular says.

"In no case, the individual doctor, para-medical staff, nursing, administrative staff, and others, should be asked to lodge the FIR or complaints with the police in such cases," it said.

In many cases, the rising cost of healthcare is the key reason for the breakdown of the bond between doctors and their patients.

Despite the rush and low health literacy, consent should not be considered a formality. Detailed consent in the patients' own dialect and language with witnesses (preferable) is mandatory before any invasive procedure. The purpose of treatment or surgery or procedure, its prognosis, the commonly occurring life-threatening and non-life-threatening complications must be explained properly.