In Gujarat, 3-year jail for slapping a doctor

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat state assembly on Thursday passed a bill which makes any form of "violence on medicare service personnel and damage of the property of medical service institutes" a congisable and non-bailable offence.

Passed unanimously in the absence of majority of Opposition legislators who were suspended for the rest of the current session of the state assembly, except three, the Statement of Objects and Reasons attached with the bill - called Gujarat Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss of Property) Bill, 2012 - recognizes that there has been a sharp rise in the incidence of violence and damage to property of medicare service institutions in the recent past.
It admits, "Increase in the incidents of violence has resulted in unrest among medical persons, disruption of medical services and inconvenience to the general public."
The bill says that any person who indulges in this type of violence, or even abets it, "shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine which may extend to Rs 50,000, or with both". Then, the person indulging in violence will be liable to pay penalty of twice the market price of medical equipment damaged and the loss caused to the property. The amount, it adds, would be determined by the court of law.