Pakistan: Sindh unveils Bill to criminalise acts of violence against health care professionals, treatment facilities

Karachi: The Sindh government has unveiled a Bill aimed at criminalising any acts of violence against health care professionals and treatment facilities in the province both in public and private sectors.

The Sindh Healthcare Service Providers and Facilities (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Bill-2021 has been introduced in the current session of the Sindh Assembly.

Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla introduced the Bill and sought permission from the Acting Speaker of the assembly to refer it to the relevant standing committee of the House for a review.

The Bill aims to provide protection to the hospitals, teaching hospitals, diagnostic centres, blood banks, medical clinics, nursing homes, maternity homes, dental clinics, nursing homes, maternity homes, acupuncture centres, physiotherapy clinics, rehabilitation facilities, mobile health units, medical first-aid posts, emergency medical units, laboratories and similar other health care facilities in the province.

The proposed law will provide protection to doctors, dentists, registered nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, lady health workers, polio workers, volunteers and counsellors associated with the health facilities, ambulance drivers, medico-legal officers, physiotherapists, vaccinators, dieticians, community mid-wives, technicians, and non-clinical staff including those performing administrative functions at the hospitals.

The Bill follows acts of violence by relatives of a patient who either died or suffered further worsening of his or her health after getting treatment or undergoing an operation.

Those perpetrating violence are of the view that negligence shown by the health care professionals during treatment has taken a toll on the health of the patient.

Proper briefing by doctors

To avoid the situation, the Bill stipulates that those accompanying a patient should be properly briefed by the doctors about the procedures of treatment to be given at the health facility.

Apart from this, polio workers and ambulance drivers are also often exposed to violence during troubled times. The Bill prohibits possessing and displaying weapons by visitors to health care facilities.

It also declares that any act of violence against a health care worker or a treatment facility would be a non-bailable and cognisable offence authorising the police to register a criminal case against the perpetrators.

The Bill mentions that due punitive action would be taken under the Pakistan Penal Code-1860 if an act of violence causes the death of a health care worker in the line of his or her duty. The perpetrator of an act of violence, which would cause mental anguish to a health care professional would receive the punishment of imprisonment for a period of six months or a penalty of Rs50,000 or both.

Anyone committing a violent act, which causes obstruction of essential health care services would be punished with imprisonment of three years or a fine of Rs50,000 or both.

A person whose act of violence causes irreparable damage to the property of a health care facility could be sentenced to three-year imprisonment or a fine equivalent to the market value of the damaged property or both.

In case of repairable damage or loss to the property having a value exceeding Rs 100,000, the offender could be imprisoned for one year or pay the penalty equivalent to the amount to be incurred on repairing the damaged articles of the health care facility.