The Medicolegal Ramifications of Pakistan's New Injury Legislation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61506/01.00326Keywords:
medicolegal ramifications, legal system, injury legislationAbstract
In 1979, Pakistan's penal laws underwent extensive reforms aimed at aligning them with Islamic Jurisprudence. These new laws altered the definitions and punishments for various types of injuries and also redefined and reclassified the crime of murder. According to the laws, injuries must be identified and documented by an authorized physician. However, several issues arise from these reforms: the new classification of injuries and deaths, inadequate forensic training for emergency room physicians, the involvement of doctors early in their careers in medicolegal work, and the theoretical approach to forensic medicine education at the undergraduate level. These issues negatively impact the quality of medicolegal work in Pakistan. This article provides an overview of Pakistan's medicolegal system, examines the current laws and their effects on the medical and legal systems, and offers recommendations to improve forensic training and work standards.
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