Rajya Sabha passes Epidemic Diseases Amendment Bill to prevent offences against healthcare workers

The Rajya Sabha on Saturday passed the Epidemic Diseases Amendment Bill, 2020, to prevent offences against healthcare professionals, according to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Speaking in the Upper House, the minister said, "Many healthcare workers including doctors, paramedics were insulted in some form or the other, due to stigma attached to COVID-19. The central government acted on this situation found that there was a need for a law, a prohibitory mechanism against such incidents."

He said that the Centre had passed the Ordinance to make hurt of any nature or insulting the medical professionals a cognizable offence.

"By April 22, the Centre brought an ordinance and amended it and those who are causing hurt of any nature or insulting the medical professional it has been made a cognizable offence and punishments have been prescribed," he added.

The Union Minister said that this has resulted in a decline in the crimes against the professionals.

The Centre also gave a peek into new legislation that it is working on.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan informed the House that the government is working on a National Public Health Act for the past few years and it will be brought to the House.

The legislation is tipped to address the deficiencies of the NDMA Act and Epidemic Diseases Amendment Bill. "All issues not included under the Epidemic Act or National Disaster Management Act will be included in the Public Health Act," he said.

However, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O`Brien termed the Bill an attempt to encroach states` constitutionally assigned functioning.

Speaking at the Rajya Sabha while the discussions on the bill were underway, the TMC MP said that Bengal already had laws to deal with prevention of violence against doctors and healthcare workers.

"You thought of healthcare workers now? Bengal has Medicare Service Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property Act 2009. What happens to it? Bill is an attempt to encroach states' constitutionally assigned functioning," O`Brien said.

The TMC leader said that his state had passed the bill for healthcare workers' safety as far back as in 2009.

"You cannot cross the Constitutional bar, you do your work, and let the Chief Ministers do their work. There are sinister provisions also present in this bill," he further added.

BJP's Saroj Pandey staunchly defended the government. She stressed that the ordinance was brought out because of the attacks on healthcare professionals, in the first place, thwarting Congress`s volley of political accusations. "We showered flowers on them, the healthcare workers couldn`t even meet their families for months as they wanted to protect them from infection," Pandey added.

The Upper House had earlier passed the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Second Amendment) Bill.

The Monsoon Session of the Parliament commenced on Monday and is slated to end on October 1.

(With agency inputs)