Andhra ordinance to make attack on doctors punishable

Hyderabad, Dec 17,2007 - Bowing to the demand of striking doctors, the Andhra Pradesh government Monday decided to bring an ordinance to protect them from attacks by relatives of patients by making it a punishable offence. However, doctors are continuing with their strike for other demands.The ordinance, the first of its kind, makes attacks on doctors, nursing staff or any paramedic a cognizable and non-bailable offence and the guilty could be sentenced to three years' imprisonment.The cabinet, which met here, decided to issue the ordinance even as medical services remained affected due the continuing strike by junior doctors at all government-run hospitals across the state.Minister for Information Anam Ramnarayan Reddy told newspersons after the cabinet meeting that the ordinance would be issued shortly. 'A person found guilty of attacking a doctor or other medical staff on duty may be sentenced up to three years in jail,' he said.

(Earlier, an attack on doctors at Niloufer Children's Hospital here on Dec 2 by a Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(MIM) legislator and his supporters had sparked an indefinite strike. The 11-day strike, which allegedly resulted in the death of 40 children at the hospital due to negligence)

Andhra ordinance to make attack on doctors punishable