Amidst protests by doctors across Kerala, following the murder of a young female surgeon at the Kottarakkara Taluk hospital, in Kollam district, the State government has decided to issue an ordinance for the safety of medical professionals. The ordinance will amend the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012.
The ordinance will be put forward in the next cabinet meeting. Additionally, it has been decided that police outposts will be established at all major hospitals across the State.
Vandana Das, the young house surgeon who was stabbed to death by a person she was treating for injuries, succumbled to the wounds inflicted on her by her patient. The attacker was an injured man brought to the hospital by the police in a drunk state. The inebriated man suddenly became violent while Das was dressing his wounds. He grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed her multiple times, injuring her fatally. She breathed her last while undergoing treatment in Tiruvananthapuram.
Her death lead to protests by government doctors across Kerala. The doctors boycotted work and marched on the streets seeking justice for Das.
The Kerala High Court called the incident a result of total failure of the system. An emergency meeting was called by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, wherein it was decided that it was time to make amendments to the hospital protection law to ensure the safety of medical professionals.
