The Indian Medical Association on Monday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action against those spreading misinformation on anti-COVID-19 vaccines and assaulting doctors.
“We are very much anguished and pained by the continued attempts of certain people to propagate the disbelief and misinformation in relations to vaccines,” the IMA wrote in a letter to the PM.
The association said even during the pandemic, the incidents of violence against the medical fraternity have increased despite the fact that a number of doctors and health workers have died while serving the people.
The IMA asked the Prime Minister to book a person under the Epidemic and Disaster Management Act who tries to spread misinformation against the vaccination drive.
The medical body demanded promulgation of Health Services Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of violence and damage to property) Bill 2019, which seeks to punish the guilty for assaulting on-duty health professionals.
The association thanked PM Modi for extending the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana to the family of doctors dying from COVID-19 but underlined only 168 of 754 such families have received the benefit so far.
The IMA asked PM Modi to give “martyr” status to all doctors who lost their lives to COVID-19 while treating patients and effectively identify them and extend the schemes to their families.
Last month, the IMA has written a letter to the Prime Minister seeking a case against Yoga guru Baba Ramdev for mocking doctors and modern medicines.
