Kerala Health department directs doctors to follow wound certification protocols
The directive follows reports that improper documentation of injuries has hindered criminal prosecutions and the administration of justice.
The Kerala Health department has issued a circular instructing all government doctors to strictly follow the medico-legal protocols of the Kerala Medico-Legal Code when preparing wound certificates, according to The Hindu.
The move comes after the Director General of Prosecution reported that deficiencies in certificates prepared by Health Service doctors were affecting criminal prosecutions. Medical officer K. Prathibha, from the Health Services Department, had alerted the Director General of Prosecution to these issues regarding improper certification and the subversion of justice.
The Director General of Prosecution informed the Director of Health Services (DHS) that recurring errors in certificates were causing setbacks for the prosecution. These errors include incomplete entries about injury types, illegible writing, and leaving mandatory columns blank.
The letter also noted that doctors sometimes omit the names of alleged assailants in the certificates. Such negligence makes it difficult for prosecutors to establish the guilt of the accused during trials.
Dr. Prathibha cited a 2016 case at the Parassala taluk hospital where a patient with serious head injuries died. She stated that the wound certificate and police intimation failed to record life-threatening injuries or the referral for further treatment, which prevented adequate evidence from being produced in court.
The accused in that case was recently acquitted by a sessions court.
District Medical Officers have been told to ensure government doctors comply with the instructions immediately. The circular states that any deviation from the protocol that affects justice will be viewed seriously.