BENGALURU, 27 AUG

Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Jung once said: “Medicine cures diseases but only doctors can cure patients.” Unfortunately, the women doctors in government hospitals in Karnataka have only stories of despair and suffering to share. They are harassed, eve-teased and denied basic amenities, and adding to the misery, they have to work in unsafe environments, leaving them vulnerable. In the aftermath of the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College Hospital, Salar News carried out a survey among select doctors in Karnataka to understand their working conditions and it revealed that they are grappling with deplorable conditions that demand urgent reform.

On Tuesday, the State government announced that the hospitals will be beefed up with security guards, CCTVs and provided streetlights. Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil directed government medical colleges to use their funds to improve infrastructure and said a task force will be set up in every hospital to address issues of medical practitioners promptly. However, the women doctors at districts and taluk hospitals are worried that these measures will be not implemented in theirs because they are often neglected by the government. Ankita, a junior resident doctor from Kushtagi Taluk Hospital, Gadag district, said, “City hospitals have been well-equipped, while rural ones will continue to remain unsafe. Doctors are threatened by locals during treatments as there is no security guard in the hospitals. The hospital doesn’t provide any transportation and during late night emergencies, I am forced to travel alone from my hostel to hospital on roads without street lights.”

The survey carried out by Salar News revealed that trainee doctors working in Shivamogga, Mandya, Bagalkot and Bengaluru have to work for more than 24 hours continuously and there is neither space on hospital premises to relax nor a separate washroom for them. Harshini, a senior doctor from Shivamogga, said, “Since I am the only senior doctor at Taluk General Hospital in Bhadravathi, I have to stay round the clock at the hospital to take care of the patients. As we don’t have a resting room, I take a break on a plastic chair.”

Many incidents of inappropriate and predatory behaviour have been reported by women trainee doctors. Shalini, a senior resident doctor at Victoria Hospital, revealed that some male patients demand female doctors to treat them and they have erections during check-ups.

Aaruna, a senior resident doctor from Kushtagi Taluk Hospital shared the plight at their hostel. “The government hostel where I stay is in terrible condition, with leaky rooms, unhygienic surroundings and frequent power cuts."

Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil directed all State government medical colleges to use their own funds to improve infrastructure and immediately assess the functionality of CCTVs on campus, with a report to be submitted to Health Department. Patil said they will sort out the issues raised by the survey conducted by Salar News systematically within 1 month. “I had a meeting with directors of government hospitals and trainee doctors on Tuesday where many of them raised similar issues. I have instructed the directors to provide transportation for the doctors."

The Medical Education Minister said, “During untoward incidents, we will either replace the treating doctor with a male doctor or halt the treatment. We will organise a meeting with the officials of government colleges and lawmakers to check whether we can register police complaints on untoward incidents immediately.” —Salar News