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Female docs should examine rape victims: CrPC guidelines In police hospital, no female doctor to check rape victims Doctors at the hospital say that medical examination is carried out in the presence of female nurses or attendants SACHIN DAVE T HE only police hospital in the city to examine rape victims-Nagpada Police Hospital--has no female doctor to conduct medical examination of the victims, thus, defying the guidelines of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). All rape victims in the hospital are being examined by male doctors. According to the lawyers, guidelines of the CrPC clearly mention that a female doctor should be examining a rape victim. However, the hospital authorities say that due to the unavailability of female doctors, the males have been involved in the procedure of medical examination. All the rape victims are first sent to the police hospital for medical examination, a procedure which is compulsory after every rape case, say the police. The police records state that above 90 per cent of the victims in the city are taken to police hospital for examination. Majeed Memon, a senior advocate, said, "It is very unfortunate that there is not even a single female doctor at the hospital to ex amine rape victims. The victim, who is already under a great trauma, may face emotional stress while getting examined by the male doctor. This clearly points out a lethargic approach on the part of the authorities." But, the doctors at the hospital say that medical examination is carried out in the presence of female nurses or attendants. "Before conducting examination, we take victim's consent and only after she is comfortable, do we proceed. If the victim is not comfortable, then she is sent to JJ hospital. Reports from our hospital have helped in the conviction of accused like Sunil More, Chandrakant Pawar among others," explains Dr SM Patil, police surgeon at Nagpada Police Hospital. "Taking consent of the victim hardly makes any difference since she is under police custody," says Satish Manshinde, a senior advocate. He added, "Not having a female doctor clearly defies Section 53 and 54 of the CrPC which mentions that medical examination of a rape victim must be conducted in presence of a female doctor." According to a senior police official, the medical examination at the police hospital is convenient than other hospitals. "In JJ hospital, doctors work in shift and therefore, to obtain reports on time, one needs to keep a track of the concerned doctor. The process is time consuming. Whereas, in the police hospital, since doctors do not work in shifts, it becomes easier for us to obtain reports on time," the official added. Joint Commissioner of Police, Administration, Subhash Awate, when asked about the present situation in the hospital, said, "The rape victim always have an option of being taken to JJ Hospital for medical examination if she has any objection. And the recruitment of the medical staff does not fall under my purview, so I would not like to comment on the recruitment of a woman doctor. URL : http://70.86.150.130/indianexpress/ArticleText.aspx?article=31_03_2007_525_002 |
