THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The perpetrators of violence against health workers and related institutions will be punished with imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh. If it is a serious crime, the punishment can be up to ten years and a fine of Rs 2 lakhs. The draft ordinance incorporating these amendments has been forwarded to the offices of the Chief Minister in charge of Home Affairs and the Ministers of Health and Law. The draft bill was prepared in consultation with the law, home, and health secretaries. After further steps, steps are being taken to pass the ordinance in the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

The amendment is being made to the Kerala Health Care Service Workers and Health Care Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012. According to section 4 of the current Act, the maximum punishment for assaulting health workers or health institutions is imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 50,000.

The ordinance is being introduced in the context of the murder of Dr. Vandana Das, a house surgeon at the Kottarakkara taluk hospital. The Act also covers medical and paramedical students and their institutions of study. It is reported that the draft also contains instructions to conduct the trial in the cases within a year.

FIR within an hour

• One direction is that an FIR should be registered within one hour of receiving complaints.
• Action should be taken against the defaulting officers.
• The CI rank officer should complete the investigation and submit the report within one month of registering the FIR.
• In case of the destruction of hospital equipment, the compensation should be more than double the cost.
• Verbal abuse, cyber abuse, etc. may also come under the ambit of the law
• The possibility of fast-track courts should be explored to complete trials faster.