Violence against health workers – AIIMS doctors to get self-defence training from black belt champions

New Delhi: In order to protect themselves against violence by patients and their irate relatives, doctors at AIIMS will get self-defence training classes from experts.

As per a report in TOI, resident doctors doctors will take self-defence classes from black belt champions in martial arts, including taekwondo starting May 15.

The move came amid increasing violence against health workers by relatives of patients at the hospitals across the country.

“Two black belt champions will impart self-defence skills to interested candidates daily from 6-7pm and 7-8 pm at AIIMS,” Dr Kumar, president of AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association, was quoted as saying to TOI.

"Prevention is better than cure," he said, adding there was no point criticising lax security in the hospital or seeking justice once an attack had taken place.

Dr Kumar also told the English daily that the administration had permitted the doctors to hold daily training classes at the hospital.

Dr Yugal Karkhur, president of the RDA of Maulana Azad Medical College, said the the doctors at Lok Nayak Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College have already undergone similar training from Delhi Police.

“We were taught by Delhi Police personnel how to defend ourselves from aggressive attendants or evacuate safely in case of a dangerous situation,” Dr Karkhur said, adding that self-defence training skills had also been conducted at Lok Nayak at the re quest of the hospital's chief medical officer from April 5 to 17.

In the wake of several incidents of doctors being assaulted by enraged relatives of patients reported from across the country, including the national capital, a recent ongoing study by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has revealed that more than 75 percent doctors in India have faced some form of violence at work.