New Delhi | Special Correspondent: Arun Sharma

Delhi’s government hospitals, meant to be places of healing and hope, are increasingly turning into zones of fear for doctors and medical staff. Official data has revealed a disturbing trend: 149 incidents of violence against doctors and healthcare workers have been reported in the last five years, yet only 33 FIRs were registered, raising serious questions about safety and accountability within the public healthcare system.


According to government records, assaults on doctors remained at 14 cases each in 2021 and 2022, but the situation worsened sharply thereafter. The number rose to 24 in 2023 and surged to 49 in 2024. In 2025 alone, 48 attacks have already been reported, indicating that the problem is escalating rather than subsiding.


Senior officials attribute the rising violence to overcrowded hospitals, staff shortages, long waiting hours and heightened tension in emergency wards. In many cases, frustration among patients’ attendants spills over into aggression, with doctors, nurses and interns becoming easy targets.


While the government has taken steps such as forming hospital security committees, deploying guards, installing CCTV cameras, setting up helplines and coordinating with Delhi Police, the continued rise in attacks has cast doubt on the effectiveness of these measures on the ground.


Recent incidents underline the gravity of the crisis
In August 2025, a doctor and an X-ray technician were allegedly assaulted by a patient’s attendants at Sucheta Kriplani Hospital. The same month, an intern was attacked at Acharya Bhikshu Hospital in Moti Nagar. In June 2025, a female resident doctor was assaulted at Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini, while a senior doctor at GTB Hospital was attacked with a liquor bottle during a night round.


Doctors’ associations argue that many cases go unreported due to fear of reprisals, administrative pressure or the belief that legal action will not lead to swift justice. They have renewed their demand for a separate, stringent law to curb violence against healthcare workers.


The government, however, has clarified that it is not considering a separate legislation at present and will continue to rely on existing IPC provisions. The stand has drawn criticism from medical bodies, who warn that without stronger safeguards, morale in public hospitals will continue to erode.


As violence against doctors continues unabated, the issue has moved beyond individual safety to become a serious challenge to the credibility and functioning of Delhi’s public healthcare system. The question now confronting policymakers is stark: if those who save lives are not safe, how secure can healthcare itself be?