First Information Report (FIR):
In response to widespread protests following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, the Union Health Ministry directed that heads of government hospitals must file a First Information Report (FIR) within six hours of any violence against healthcare workers on duty.
- This directive, issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), addresses the increasing violence faced by doctors and healthcare staff, often from patients or their attendants.
- Public health is a ‘State’ subject and there is no Central law for preventing violence against healthcare workers (VAHCW).
- First Information Report (FIR) is a written document prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offence
- It is a report of information that reaches the police first in point of time and that is why it is called the First Information Report.
