India News

Ordinance to amend THE EPIDEMIC DISEASES ACT, 1897

 

In the light of current pandemic spread in India and recent assaults on doctors and health workers in different states, the Union Government has today approved the promulgation of an ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 for protecting health care workers including doctors from attacks by miscreants and to provide strict punishments to culprits. This was informed today in a press conference by Mr. Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting.

 

It is considered as a big move by the government to protect health professionals and workers especially engaged in COVID19 detection, monitoring, and treatment across the country. As per the new amendment, attacks on doctors including all health care workers will be treated as cognizable and nonbailable offense and will be liable to 6 to 7 years of Jail terms and/or Rupees 5 lakhs fine or both. This move is seen as a firm commitment by the union government to adopt zero tolerance on increasing attacks on doctors and health workers.

 

Under the ordinance, the government has provisioned to impose a double penalty on assailants responsible for damaging properties of doctors and health workers including their clinics and private properties. The ordinance has further provisioned for the compensation for injury to health care professionals.  

 

Highlights of the current Epidemic Disease Act 1897

  • This act is one of the shortest acts in India
  • Originally the act was passed to deal with the epidemic situation in the then Bombay state due to ‘Bubonic plague’ first noticed in September 1896 in Mandvi, that killed over thousands of people in Bombay
  • Special powers were conferred upon the local authorities to implement measures for the control of plague
  • Section 3 of the act has provisioned six months of imprisonment or Rupees one thousand of fine or both to the person who disobeys this act
  • Historian David Arnold had called the act as one of the most draconian pieces of sanitary legislation ever adopted in colonial India
  • The act is mostly oriented towards people travel by ships and there is no provision on air travel, which were negligible at that time
  • Much emphasis is given to measures like Isolation and Quarantine, but this act is silent on scientific methods of detection, surveillance, public health awareness, recovery plan, vaccination, etc.
  • Although there is mention of ‘Dangerous Epidemic Disease ‘in the act but it doesn’t provide any definition of epidemic disease or particularly ‘Dangerous Epidemic Disease’
  • The act is also silent on the outbreak of pandemic in India like COVID-1
  • The act is also silent on the role of the appropriate authority, who will be deciding on the dangerous epidemics disease and criteria to define it
  • Much emphasis is given in this act on the power of the government but the act is silent on the rights of citizens

 

{Reference- THE EPIDEMIC DISEASES ACT, 1897 & Pandya SK. Guidelines for stem cell science and clinical translation. Indian J Med Ethics. 2016 Jul-Sep:1(3) NS:160-1.å

Disasternews

View Comments

  • You're so cool! I do not believe I've read anything like that before.
    So nice to find somebody with some genuine thoughts on this subject.
    Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This web site
    is something that is required on the internet, someone with some originality!

Recent Posts

New News

Hello, this is the content.

2 weeks ago

Cyclone YAAS updates(25th May,2021)

By the evening of 25th May, Cyclone YAAS intensified into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm as…

3 years ago

Cyclone YAAS updates(23rd May,2021)

The depression is formed over the Bay of Bengal at 16.5N 90.0E, 683 km south-southeast…

4 years ago

केरल में मानसून की तैयारी शुरू

इस बर्ष मानसून के मद्देनज़र केरल सरकार ने भी कमर कस लिया है. सरकार ने…

4 years ago

Cyclone Tauktae updates(17th May,2021)

- As per the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), 4526 fishing boats of Maharashtra and 2258…

4 years ago

Cyclone Tauktae updates (16th May,2021)

- Cyclone "TAUKTAE" assume the category of "Very Severe Cyclonic Storm" - Hits coastal areas…

4 years ago

This website uses cookies.