# National Task Force for Safety of Medical Professionals

The National Task Force (NTF) for safety of medical professionals at the workplace was set up by the Supreme Court of India in the aftermath of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal. On 20 August 2024, a three-judge bench led by the Supreme Court Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud and including Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra constituted a 9-member task force to work out suggestions to improve the safety of medical professionals at the workspace.

## Background

A post-graduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered at R. G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata on 9 August 2024, which sparked protests across India. The case was first investigated by Kolkata Police and then, on the order by Calcutta High Court, by the Central Bureau of Investigation. On 18 August 2024, the Supreme Court of India took suo moto cognizance of the case. A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud heard the matter on 20 August 2024 and constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to ensure workplace safety for medical professionals. The NTF was asked by the Supreme Court to submit its interim report within three weeks and the final report within two months.

## Members

The Supreme Court of India appointed the members of the National Task Force which includes medical professionals in India and the office holders of several Indian medical organisations:
* Surgeon Vice Admiral Aarti Sarin AVSM VSM
* Dr. D. Nageshwar Reddy: Chairman of the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology and AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad
* Dr. M. Srinivas: Director of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
* Dr. M. V. Padma Srivastava: Chairperson of Neurology at Paras Healthcare, Gurugram
* Dr. Pratima Murthy: Director and a senior professor of psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore
* Dr. Goverdhan Dutt Puri: Executive Director of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur
* Dr. Saumitra Rawat: Chairperson of the Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology, GI and HPB Onco-Surgery, and Liver Transplantation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
* Dr. Anita Saxena: Vice-Chancellor of Pandit B D Sharma Medical University, Rohtak
* Dr. Pallavi Saple: Dean, Grant Medical College and Sir J J Group of Hospitals, Mumbai

### Ex-officio members

* Cabinet Secretary to the Government of India
* Union Home Secretary
* Union Health Secretary
* Chairperson, National Medical Commission (NMC)
* President, National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS)

## Activities

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare contributes logistics and funding. After 27 August 2024, a portal was created to seek suggestions. Suggestions included improved CCTV cameras coverage, access control, and checking up on staff. State governments were requested to list existing security measures, (they run most health facilities) before meeting two NTF members about temporary solutions.
As of 27 August, 300-400 suggestions were received. The Telangana Teaching Government Doctors Association (TTGDA) highlighted infrastructure, staffing, security and administration. The Andhra Pradesh Government Doctors' Association (APGDA) sent nine recommendations including a Special Protection Force.
The NTF examines both safety and security. The Indian Medical Association lobbied for laws including declaring hospitals as safe zones.