MOSCOW, April 3 (RAPSI) - Bills on protection of medical professionals and patients have been submitted to the State Duma, press service of Deputy Speaker of the parliament’s lower house Irina Yarovaya announced on Monday.

The documents drafted by Yarovaya and Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Health Dmitry Morozov with contributions from Health Minister Veronica Skvortsova have been supported by Russia’s Supreme Court and government.

Bills stipulate criminal and administrative punishment for obstructing authorized activity of doctors by restraining, threatening and impeding access to patients. Such actions would result in criminal punishment if they caused harm to a patient’s health of medium gravity, grievous harm or a patient’s death.

Currently, failure to provide health care is punishable by imprisonment of up to 4 years. It would be rightfully to introduce adequate liability for those who bars doctors from providing medical assistance, Yarovaya stated.

Moreover, “hooligans” obstructing driveway of ambulances would face such administrative penalties as driver's license revocation for up to 2 years and fines of up to 30,000 rubles ($532).

According to the Health Ministry, over 1,000 illegal acts connected with violence against health professionals in duty status including ambulance medics were committed in 2016, the statement of Yarovaya’s press office reads.