Docs ‘refuse’ to treat rape victim, DC orders probe

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, January 20

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ishfaq has initiated a probe into the alleged callousness of Civil Hospital doctors, including the Senior Medical Officer (SMO), in conducting the medical examination of a 10-year-old rape victim following a verbal complaint by SSP Rajinder Singh Sohal.

The SSP informed the DC “that the doctors were stonewalling the medical examination by offering lame excuses, a development which could lead to a law and order problem”.

Civil Surgeon: SMO did nothing wrong

Civil Surgeon Dr Varinder Jagat jumped to the defence of the SMO by contesting the police version. He said, “If a patient is stable, he or she can be referred to a hospital in whose jurisdiction the crime had occurred. In this case, the SMO did the right thing.”

A section of residents said this showed the inept attitude of government doctors in providing medical services. On Sunday, a 10-year-old girl was raped in a village falling under the jurisdiction of Dhariwal police subdivision. The cops registered an FIR after which DSP (Dhariwal) Kulwinder Singh Virk deputed lady officer Anju Bala to accompany the victim and her mother to the Gurdaspur Civil Hospital to get the mandatory medical examination conducted.

Much to their embarrassment, SMO Dr Chetna allegedly refused to do so citing ‘jurisdictional problems’. She claimed the victim should be examined at the government hospital in Kahnuwan in whose jurisdiction the crime occurred.

The SMO’s refusal sparked off a strong protest from SSP Rajinder Singh Sohal who claimed that “according to rules, where there is a high probability of a law and order problem arising, jurisdictional boundaries do not matter”.

Anju Bala then brought the victim to the Kahnuwan hospital where the doctor on duty also declined to conduct the examination “citing some flimsy reason”.

Sensing that doctors were not interested in helping them out, the girl and her mother did the disappearance act. After a couple of hours, they were traced to Puranashala and were again brought to the Civil Hospital where yet again the minor girl was “given the cold shoulder”.

Exasperated, the SSP approached the DC and Civil Surgeon Dr Varinder Jagat. The DC said he had asked the Civil Surgeon to submit a report. “Prima facie, it appears there is negligence on the part of doctors. Physicians cannot abdicate their responsibility by taking refuge in ‘jurisdictional limits,” he said. The SSP said the doctors had indeed erred.