Rajya Sabha Passes Bill To Punish Those Who Attack Doctors, Healthcare Workers; May Be Jailed For Five Years

The Rajya Sabha today (19 September) passed a legislation tabled by Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan which provides for up to five years of jail term for those attacking the doctors and healthcare workers who are pursuing the national effort against COVID-19 from the front, reports Livemint.

The punishment was a part of the Epidemics Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which had been approved by the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi as an ordinance in April to protect the healthcare service personnel and property, including their living and working premises against any violence during epidemics.

The legislation identifies healthcare service personnel as public and clinical healthcare service providers like doctors, nurses, paramedical workers and community health workers, and also any other persons empowered under the act to take measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease or its spread, including people declared as such by the state governments.

The legislation states that the commission or abetment of such acts of violence will be punishable with imprisonment for a term of three months to five years, with a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,00,000.