During a press conference held on Thursday by the IMA Pune chapter, Dr. Raju Varyani, the chapter's president, asserted that the current legal framework, as exemplified by the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons Act, falls short in its punitive measures. Dr. Varyani emphasized that the prevailing law allows a mere three years of punishment for offenders, while the IMA advocates for a minimum of seven years of imprisonment and arrest under a non-bailable section.

Dr. Varyani shared alarming statistics, stating, "In the past five years, 1,318 individuals have been booked in various incidents, yet only five of them have been convicted for violence against doctors and healthcare staff in the state. Serious patients are being referred to government hospitals because of fear of violence from their relatives. It is essential to ensure that doctors are protected to avoid incidents like the ones in Thane and Nanded."

He also recalled the brutal murder of Dr. Vandana Das in a Kerala hospital on May 10, 2023. Driven by this tragic incident, the Kerala government swiftly came up with an ordinance with robust provisions, leading to the passage of a comprehensive act aimed at safeguarding doctors. IMA demanded that the Maharastra government should come up with a proper legal provision against assaults on medical professionals. " Is the Maharashtra government waiting for a similar tragedy to occur before enacting stringent legislation for the protection of doctors?" the doctor added.