Kerala women doctors take self-defence classes amid rise in hospital attacks

Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of ongoing violence against doctors in the state, a unique initiative was taken by the Kerala Government Medical College Teachers Association (KGMCTA) on International women's day yesterday. 

Women’s day is celebrated for women's social, economic, cultural and political achievements. However, for the past few days, the violence against woman doctors has increased and due to this, they have become the subject of abuse and harassment.

To fight against the threat, the KCMCTA have arranged a training course for women to learn self-defence techniques. The course is specially created for women doctors of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College hospital.

Also read- Miscreants Break Senior Cardiologist's Nose For Alleged Delay In Treatment, Kerala Doctors See Red

It has been reported that the association had been toying with the idea of giving self-defence training to doctors and medicos, especially women, for some time now. Therefore, in association with Swasthi Foundation, the course has finally taken shape.

According to a media report in TOI, The trainers from Kerala Police and the state sports council trained the women doctors. The training programme began with a 50-member batch initially. The first batch started on Wednesday at the college campus apart from the doctors, house surgeons and PG medicos will also attend the training.

"It has to be remembered that a woman doctor was attacked while on night duty at the casualty wing of the Thiruvananthapuram medical college hospital. The health care workers are not safe in the hospitals. Neither the government nor the police is taking effective steps to protect the doctors. Hence, we have decided to train our colleagues in self-defence techniques,’’ said Dr R C Sreemkumar, president of KGMCTA, Thiruvananthapuram.

“The public gets to hear about only the major fracas which gets out of hand, requiring police intervention. But minor skirmishes and harassment of women medicos and faculty in wards and casualty wing by patients or their relatives — who might often be drunk — happen on a regular basis and our women colleagues feel very threatened and vulnerable,” Dr Sreekumar told HT.

"We are forced to take this step since there is criminal negligence on the part of authorities in taking action against the assaulters. We have seen what happened to those who attacked the woman doctor of medical college, Thiruvananthapuram,’’ said Dr Sreekumar.

"More than 50 doctors have already registered for the training. We have plans to start a second batch after the initial course for the first batch. The association is also planning to extend the course to all other government medical college hospitals in the state,’’ said Dr Kalesh Sadasivan, secretary of KGMCTA.

Also read- Violence Yet Again: Two On-Duty Doctors, Staff Attacked By Patient's Kin For Delay In Attending To Patient