Recently, a 31-year-old doctor on duty was raped and killed at the medical faculty where she worked. A worker at the hospital has been detained in connection with the case.
India’s Supreme Court this week set up a national working group of doctors to make recommendations on the safety of healthcare workers in their workplace.
– The lack of institutional security measures at medical institutions, both in terms of violence and sexual violence against medical professionals, is a serious concern, the court order states.
It is pointed out that there are no surveillance cameras and that it is not checked whether visitors carry weapons when they enter the hospitals.
Large protests
The Supreme Court’s decision to set up the working group comes after the rape and murder sparked violent anger. Last Saturday, health workers across India stopped working in non-emergency health services in protest.
Tens of thousands of ordinary Indians have also joined the protests. They have pointed out that women are generally exposed to a lot of violence in India, and that little is done to secure working conditions for them.
The latest assault has drawn attention to the lack of safety for female doctors.
– I was on night duty just two days before the rape and murder, says Radhika at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Radhika is not her real name, but she does not want to come forward for fear that it will have consequences for her employment.
– What the doctor did is what we all do – rest when and where we can, she says.
“The Fearless”
The identity of the slain doctor is not publicly known, but she is called “Abhaya” or “fearless” by the protesters. She was found in the seminar hall of the teaching hospital, suggesting she had gone there for a break during a long shift.
Radhika says that the doctors have very tough working days, and that they often have no time either to eat or to rest.
– Any one of us could have been this victim, and we can still be victims, she adds.
Attacks are common
According to the organization Dashra women make up close to 30 per cent of doctors in India and 80 per cent of nurses. Attacks on female doctors are very common.
Senior doctor Indira Kabade, who works in the medical department at KC General Hospital in the southern city of Bengaluru, says she worries about whether her staff will get home safely.
– We never know if someone might follow them from the hospital, says Kabade.
She and her female colleagues want “airport-like security”, including with police officers stationed inside the area.
Kabade states that female doctors work non-stop to save lives, but that they themselves are exposed to dangers.
– There is a need to reassess safety at our workplaces, she emphasizes.
Daily abuse
A female doctor in Thiruvananthapuram, a city in the southern state of Kerala, says that she and her colleagues experience various abuses every day – from verbal insults to physical harassment.
– It never ends, she says.
Female doctors have been encouraged to participate in self-defence courses organized by the medical association.
– Doctors are called gods or angels by some people, so we may think we are immune to crime. When such a crime happens in the workplace, which should be a safe place, we all get scared, says the doctor from Kerala.
A widespread problem
But it is not only female doctors who are exposed to dangers.
The gruesome killing of the doctor has drawn comparisons with the horrific gang-rape and killing of a young woman on a bus in Delhi in 2012. It sparked violent reactions and calls for increased security for women across India.
Twelve years on, India’s women point out that the situation has not changed.
In 2022, close to 90 rapes were reported per day in the country of 1.4 billion people. It is believed that the figure is much higher because many do not report the abuse.
Although the security situation is not resolved, Radhika is still sure of one thing.
– I want to fight – I want to continue in the health service, she emphasizes.
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2024-08-22 08:54:51
