New Delhi: Violence against doctors and medical staff inside Delhi’s govt hospitals showed a worrying upward trend over the past five years, with official data revealing a sharp rise in reported assaults even as formal legal action remained limited.According to data shared by Delhi govt, between 2021 and 2025, 149 incidents of assault against doctors and medical staff were reported in govt hospitals. While the number of cases stood at 14 each in 2021 and 2022, it climbed to 24 in 2023, before spiking to 49 in 2024. In 2025, 48 incidents were recorded, indicating that the problem persisted rather than plateaued.A senior official said the numbers point to a clear escalation, particularly after 2022, reflecting the growing strain on public hospitals that grappled with overcrowding, staff shortages and rising patient inflow. Frustration among patients’ attendants often spilled over into aggression, especially in emergency wards where tensions ran high, he added.Despite the high number of incidents, the data showed that only 33 institutional FIRs were registered in these cases. This meant that less than a quarter of reported assaults resulted in formal police complaints, raising questions about deterrence and accountability.“Many incidents are either settled internally or go unreported due to fear of reprisals, administrative pressure or the belief that legal action will not lead to swift justice,” a doctor at a Delhi govt hospital said, not wishing to be named.In a report presented in the assembly, Delhi govt cited several measures it had undertaken to improve safety in hospitals. These included formation of hospital-level security committees, deployment of security guards, installation of CCTV cameras, issuance of helpline numbers to deal with violent situations and coordination with Delhi Police, including regular security audits. Information related to legal provisions was also displayed at hospital premises to warn against violence.“The continued rise in cases suggests that these measures may not be translating into effective on-ground protection,” noted the doctor.Delhi govt also said it was not considering a separate law to curb violence against doctors, relying instead on existing legal provisions, a stance that repeatedly drew criticism from doctors’ associations demanding stronger safeguards.Recent incidents underline the scale of the problem. In Aug 2025, a doctor and an X-ray technician were allegedly assaulted by a patient’s attendants inside the emergency ward of Lady Hardinge Medical College’s Sucheta Kriplani Hospital in central Delhi. In another case the same month, an intern at Acharya Bhikshu Hospital in Moti Nagar alleged he was assaulted by a politician inside the emergency section.In June 2025, police registered an FIR against five women, including a patient, for allegedly assaulting a resident doctor from the gynaecology department at Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini. That month also saw a senior doctor at GTB Hospital attacked late at night during a routine round, allegedly struck with a liquor bottle after an altercation at the hospital gate.
