Doctors in India carry the weight of the entire healthcare system. Young trainees, seasoned pros, specialists—they’re all working crazy hours, dealing with nonstop pressure. And while they’re busy looking after everyone else, their own safety gets pushed aside, again and again. Look around any hospital or medical college, and there’s a disturbing pattern: juniors getting bullied in the name of “tradition,” doctors being attacked by angry families, and women doctors facing harassment both on the job and while working late at night.
This isn’t just an issue at work. It’s a full-blown crisis—one that puts public health on the line.
1. Ragging in Medical Colleges: Trauma Hiding Behind ‘Tradition’
Ragging has been quietly accepted in some medical colleges for decades. People brush it off, call it “orientation” or “discipline.” But for new students just starting out, it’s far from harmless.
Every year, we hear stories about first-year MBBS students and interns getting disrespected, threatened, or made to do humiliating and embarrassing tasks by their seniors. It wrecks their confidence, damages their mental health, and leaves them starting their careers in fear. Let’s be honest: ragging doesn’t make better doctors. It just leaves scars—and weakens the entire healthcare system before it even gets going.
2. Attacks on Working Doctors: An Alarming Routine
Every few months, the news runs another story: a doctor slapped, screamed at, or even beaten up by patients’ relatives. These attacks usually ignite in high-pressure sparks, just think about emergency rooms, stressed family members, life-or-death situations.
Why does this keep happening? A few reasons show up again and again:
– Misinformation and wild expectations
– Emotions consecutively high during emergencies
– Overloaded infirmaries, leading to lengthy delays
– Not enough security
– People not really understanding how hospitals work
Doctors end up blamed for things they can’t control. In some states, they’ve even had to go on strike just to demand the right to basic safety. No one should have to risk their life at work—especially not the people saving lives.
3. Harassment of Female Doctors: The Struggle No One Talks About
Female doctors deal with a whole different set of threats, most of which never make the news. Whether it’s offhand comments from attendants, colleagues crossing the line, or actual stalking during night shifts, the harassment is real—and constant.
Here’s what many female residents have said happens:
– Being followed during late-night rounds
– Attendants making suggestive remarks
– Colleagues abusing their position or ignoring boundaries
– Unsafe hostels and dark, poorly lit hospital corridors
This stuff doesn’t just put women in danger. It also drives talented people away from critical fields like surgery and emergency medicine. Protecting female doctors isn’t just about gender. It’s about holding the entire healthcare system together.
Why It Matters: When Doctors Aren’t Safe, Everything Falls Apart When doctors don’t feel safe, the fallout is huge:
– Students and residents struggle with mental health
– Burnout and resignations go up
– Fewer people want to work in government hospitals
– Patient care suffers
– The faith between doctors and the public crushes
When you add it all up, the whole system starts to disentangle.
How to Fix This: Protection Isn’t Optional. Solving this disaster will make real change—laws, hospital security, cultural shifts. Here’s what needs to happen:
1. Crack Down on Ragging
– Zero tolerance in medical colleges
– CCTVs in hostels and on campus
– Easy, anonymous ways to report abuse
2. Stronger Legal Protection for Doctors
– Fast-track courts for cases of violence
– Actually enforce laws protecting doctors—everywhere
– Police presence in major hospitals
3. Better Hospital Security
– Control who gets in and out
– Emergency alarms in hospitals
– Staff trained to defuse tense situations
4. Real Protection for Female Doctors
– Well-lit hospital grounds and safe hostels
– Committees that actually take complaints seriously
– ID checks for attendants, especially at night
5. Teach the Public
People should understand that doctors are not magicians. And not every doctor is same. They can do the best they can with what they have with their skills and equipments.
At last: Take a Stand for the Doctors
Doctors use to give years of their life to learn, train, and care for others. But too many doctors have to work in constant fear—of humiliation, violence, or harassment. A country that cannot keep its own doctors safe, that country is surely in a huge trouble. If India wants a stronger healthcare system, it’s time to make protecting doctors a national mission. No more excuses. No more waiting.