Though this is not the first incident of such kind, but many people have raised questions as to whether doctors should be provided police protection, as agitated relatives and mobs can severely harm them, notwithstanding the fact that deaths don't always take place due to the negligence of doctors.

PK Das, a senior consultant at Apollo hospitals, feels that there is a severe need for police protection to doctors. “Mobs can become violent. It is their reaction and it is a 'normal' reaction when a doctor doesn't match the expectations of family members. So hospitals should be provided protection at all times,” Dr Das said.

One can't deny the fact that people always expect doctors to save their loved ones, but this can't also be generalised that people always get angry without a genuine reason. Many a time, doctors have been found responsible for negligence as well.

Not all doctors think on the same lines. Anil Grover, a Chandigarh-based doctor said, “Normally, doctors should not be given protection. It is not possible even if demands are met. Police can't protect people from all professions.” One can't but agree with Dr Grover, as people from other professions, lawyers as an example, would also ask for police protection, if demands of doctors are met.

One has to remember that doctors are not gods. They are just humans like us and like the famous saying goes, to err is human and to forgive divine', people should understand that doctors can go to only an extent to save a life, rest is decided by God.

But, as has been witnessed an umpteen times now, doctors are roughed up and infrastructure broken whenever people feel that their patients haven't been attended to properly by doctors. In such cases, one can't but agree that doctors become an easy target. “The patients' family members do not have anyone to vent their frustration on, so they latch on to the doctors and express their anger. It is a mob mentality,” said Dr Deepak Rosha, a Pulmonary and critical care specialist, adding, “Not only the regular policemen who handle things in a different manner, there is a need for well trained security guards to handle different situations in the hospitals.”

In the Shree Krishna Hospital incident, the two doctors involved in the treatment have been booked for medical negligence by the police. Whether or not the police can intervene in the matter and arrest the doctors, Dr Grover said: “I think, there is a Supreme Court ruling that in a case of medical negligence, it has to be proven through a panel, which also includes doctors, then only the police can intervene the matter.”

But booking doctors for medical negligence is not new as in a recent case, 14 government doctors were booked for medical negligence in the death of a 12-year-old boy in Jaipur. Though it is debatable whether doctors should be provided police security or not, but one can't deny the fact that people also resort to unwarranted violence and end up destroying the infrastructure set up only for their comfort.