New Delhi, Jun 18 (IANS): As Indian Medical Association (IMA) members and doctors across India staged a protest over violence against healthcare workers, they got backing from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Lok Sabha MP Anubhav Mohanty who said that "doctors need our support".

Mohanty said: "Over the past one and a half years, we have gone through unimaginable pain, trauma and suffering brought to us by the coronavirus. And we have seen how the doctors and healthcare workers have put in so much extra efforts to ensure that we are safe and we are treated if we catch the virus, without even caring for their own health and that of their family members."

Citing the reports of violence against doctors as depressing, the BJD leader said, "they need our support, they need us in these testing times".

"They are working for us, treating us and the least we should do is to give them enough love, respect, and a sense of comfort when we meet them," Mohanty said.

He urged everyone to respect and love the doctors and healthcare professionals, who are around us taking care of us and our families.

"Small efforts will go a long way in boosting their morale and spreading smiles all over," Mohanty, who is also a famous Odia actor said.

His remarks came as lakhs of doctors of the IMA are observing a nationwide protest urging the government to enhance the security of the healthcare workers in all medical facilities across the country.

The protesting doctors are also demanding that the Central government bring a law to deal with violence against doctors.