New Delhi: Kolkata doctor rape case: Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) has filed application in the Supreme Court to intervene in the Kolkata doctor murder rape case at RG Kar Hospital as a co-petitioner and urged for some interim measures amid concerns about doctors’ safety.
The association flagged that doctors have been time and again subjected to alleged instances of violence and they “almost risk their lives” while meeting the family members of the deceased patient. The association took note that the Supreme Court tooksou moto cognizance on the case of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata where a junior doctor was allegedly brutally raped and murdered.
The incident has sparked widespread protests from commoners to politicians demanding justice. Several doctor associations have also went on to strike and non-essential medical services were shut for 24 hours last week in protest of the Kolkata RG Kar hospital rape incident. While the furore has spread across the nation, the country’s apex court on Monday heard the matter and suggested several measures.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a suo motu case concerning the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital constituted a National Task Force (NTF) to provide recommendations on the safety and security of healthcare workers nationwide.
The Supreme Court took note of the doctor community’s increasing vulnerability to violence. Women face various sexual abuses, CJI Chandrachud observed.
“Because the doctors especially the female doctors are petrified after the horrific incidence. Their families are not letting them do the duties especially at night,” FAIMA said in the application.
FAIMA said, as directed by the Supreme Court, the National Task Force will present recommendations addressing various aspects of doctors’ security and safety. However, the implementation of these recommendations may take a few months. Considering the horrifying incident and the nationwide protests concerning the safety of doctors, it is in their best interest that certain critical directions (including the following) be implemented immediately as an interim measure, it said.
Among the measures, it suggested:
Implement CCTV monitoring in all sensitive areas, including hospital and hostel entrance and exit gates, as well as corridor areas.
Ensure full compliance with the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, including the requirement for a 24/7 emergency distress call facility.
Guarantee that the ratio of beds to doctors is balanced, particularly for doctors working 36 or 48-hour shifts.
The association said the above conditions are highlighted as the most urgent stipulations that can be implemented as interim measures, allowing doctors, particularly women, to resume work without fear.
FAIMA said, doctors regularly endure inhumane treatment. Even during 36-hour shifts, they face terrible working conditions, including no place to rest, poor sanitation, and often only one bathroom per department. The ratio of doctors to available beds is always mismatched, leaving doctors without a place to rest, even for a few hours during their intense 36 or 48-hour duties.
Most hospitals lack a proper system for addressing grievances, meaning that urgent issues like violence, safety breaches, and sexual harassment complaints often don’t receive immediate attention, it said.
In states like Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, where laws have been enacted to protect healthcare professionals, enforcement is extremely poor. Without proper execution, these laws are ineffective in ensuring the safety and protection of healthcare workers, the association said.
Separately, the National Federation of Resident Doctors of AIIMS and The United Doctors Front Association have also filed an intervention application with the Supreme Court to raise concerns on behalf of resident doctors across all AIIMS facilities nationwide.
