Attackers of health workers in India to face strict punishment as Modi government clears ordinance

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the attackers of health workers can now be imprisoned from six months to seven years.

The guilty can also be penalised from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 5 lakhs.

Amending the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, the government has made the attack on health workers as a "non-bailable offence".

The announcement has been made after Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan interacted with doctors and representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in the morning.

Following the meeting, Shah on Twitter said, "The way our doctors are performing their duties in these testing times is exceptional. I urge every Indian to cooperate with doctors in this fight against COVID-19."

He said in a separate tweet, "Safety and dignity of our doctors at their work place is non-negotiable. It is our collective responsibility to ensure conducive atmosphere for them at all times. I have assured doctors that Modi govt is committed to their cause and appealed to reconsider their proposed protest."

After the assurance from the Home Minister, the IMA withdrew the symbolic "white alert" protest which was scheduled to be held on Wednesday.

PM Modi tweets: 

PM Modi said there can be no comproise on the issue of safety of healthcare workers.

In the backdrop of the attacks on doctors and health workers, the IMA had planned to light candles as a mark of protest. 

Ever since the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19, several health workers were assaulted, heckled and even denied to enter their houses by people in their localities projecting a sorrow picture in the country of 1.3 billion people.

In one of the latest instances, a team of doctors and medical staffers was attacked in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad town when they were visiting the area to escort the primary contacts of a COVID-19 positive patient, who died, to a quarantine facility on Apr 15.