BENGALURU: Saving lives was the childhood dream of 28-year-old Indian doctor Radhika, but recent events have shifted her focus to her own safety. After the brutal rape and murder of a colleague, her sense of security has been deeply shaken.
Earlier this month, the battered and mutilated body of a 31-year-old female doctor was discovered at the government-run hospital where Radhika works in Kolkata. The horrifying discovery has ignited outrage and protests over the inadequate safety measures for female doctors.
“I was on night duty just two days before this incident,” Radhika said at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “The murdered doctor, known to protesters as ‘Abhaya,’ which means ‘fearless,’ was found in the seminar hall of the teaching hospital, suggesting she had gone there for a break during her long shift.”
The attack has spotlighted the dangerous conditions female medics face, including long working hours with little time for rest or meals. Radhika, whose name has been changed for her protection, expressed that the tragic event could have happened to any of her colleagues.
Attacks on female healthcare workers are alarmingly frequent in India. In response to the murder, India’s Supreme Court has mandated a national task force to review and enhance security measures for medical professionals, noting that the brutality of the killing has “shocked the conscience of the nation.”
The court’s order underscored significant security lapses in medical facilities, such as the absence of CCTV cameras and inadequate screening of hospital visitors for weapons.
Indira Kabade, the medical superintendent at KC General Hospital in Bengaluru, expressed concerns for her staff’s safety. “We never know if anyone is following them from the hospital,” Kabade said, advocating for heightened security measures, including police presence on hospital grounds.
The violent death of the doctor has drawn comparisons to the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi. With nearly 90 rapes reported daily in a country of 1.4 billion people, the issue of violence against women remains a critical concern.
In Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, a female doctor described the daily abuse faced by herself and her colleagues, ranging from verbal insults to physical molestation. “There is no end to it,” she lamented.
