Are our Women Doctors Safe? Man Arrested After Threatening Doctor with Same Fate as RG Kar PG Medico
Delhi Medical Council
Kolkata: The safety of women doctors across the country was once again challenged recently when a man in Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district threatened a lady doctor of a similar fate as the rape and murder of the PG doctor at R G Kar Medical College, Kolkata.
PTI has reported that the man- Susanta Roy was a patient, who threatened the female doctor if his treatment was delayed. Roy was arrested after doctors and nurses of the state-run Bhatar State General Hospital staged a protest against the incident.
The patient, in an inebriated condition, entered the emergency ward of the Bhatar State General Hospital and threatened the lady doctor that she would face the same consequence that a trainee medic had experienced in a Kolkata hospital.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that a PG Respiratory Medicine Student at RG Kar Medical College was found dead inside the seminar hall on Friday. Her half-naked body was full of injuries with bleeding from both the eyes and her mouth, injury on the face and nails, bleeding from her genitals, and several other injury marks in different parts of the body. A preliminary autopsy report has confirmed sexual abuse before she was killed.
Only days after this, a man in Bengal's Purba Bardhaman District threatened a female doctor with similar consequences if she did not treat him properly. Commenting on the matter, a Purba Bardhaman district health official told PTI, "The patient allegedly told the attending doctor that if the medic did not treat him properly, he would ensure the same treatment as the woman doctor of R G Kar Hospital in Kolkata witnessed. The doctor, as part of her duty and medical ethics, did not stop the treatment, and she discussed the matter with other staffers. Today, they came in a group to the CMOH office and demanded punishment of the man and security for the health personnel."
A senior police official confirmed that the accused, identified as Susanta Roy, was arrested. The district official said Roy is a civic volunteer, a contractual staff working under the local police. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that police recently arrested the prime suspect Sanjay Roy, also a civic volunteer, in connection with the R G Kar murder case.
First, the murder case at R G Kar, followed by the incident of threatening a lady doctor on duty of rape and murder- these incidents have highlighted the vulnerable condition of security being offered to female doctors at their workplace.
Night duties are a regular part of the job description of a resident doctor, irrespective of their gender. This is a requirement every doctor has to fulfil while pursuing their education. However, in light of this recent incident, doctors have started wondering if just wandering into an isolated area at night can turn out to be fatal for female doctors.
Meanwhile, doctors across the country have initiated a strike in protest of the murder of the lady doctor at R G Kar. Doctors are demanding a fast-track investigation of the matter so that the real culprits are brought to Justice. Announcing casework in the Kolkata hospitals, the protesting doctors are also demanding an increased number of security personnel at the hospitals, 24x7 CCTV monitoring etc.
