Kolkata rape and murder: In the wake of the rape and murder of the trainee doctor in R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, a three-judge bench led by the Supreme Court Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Tuesday said a 10-member task force to work out modalities for safety at workspace for doctors.
CJI Chandrachud on Tuesday said: “We are setting up a national task force which will have doctors from diverse backgrounds who will suggest modalities to be followed all across India so that safety conditions of work is there and young or middle-aged doctors are safe in their work environment.”
The CJI added: "A national consensus must be evolved.. thus we are putting together a list of members as part of the National Task force. The members would be:
> Surgeon Vice Admiral R Sarin > Dr D Nageshwar Reddy > Dr M Shreenivas > Dr Pratima Murty > Dr Goverdhan Dutt Puri > Dr Saumitra Rawat > Prof Anita Saxena, Head Cardiology, AIIMS Delhi > Prof Pallavi Sapre, Dean Grant Medical College Mumbai > Dr Padma Srivastava, Neurology dept, AIIMS
The apex court emphasized the importance of the National Task Force (NTF) to investigate strategies to address and prevent violence, especially gender-based violence, directed towards medical professionals.
This includes the implementation of a national protocol that ensures interns, residents, senior residents, doctors, and others have access to dignified and safe working conditions that can be enforced effectively.
To mitigate gender-based violence directed at doctors, the court outlined several essential measures that need to be taken. These measures include ensuring hospital safety, improving infrastructural development, hiring social welfare workers who are trained in grief and crisis counseling, and conducting workshops focused on effectively managing grief and crises.
CJI Chandrachud, expressing his serious concerns on the Kolkata doctor's rape and murder case, said that if women are not able to go to work and the conditions are not safe, "we are denying them equality".
He added the matter was not just about a particular rape issue in a hospital, but it deals with the systemic issue of safety of doctors across India. "We know they are all interns, resident doctors and most importantly women doctors....most of the young doctors are putting in 36 hours ....we must evolve a national protocol to ensure safe conditions of work are provided," he said.
A 31-year-old trainee doctor was raped and murdered inside a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9. Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer, was arrested in the case. The incident has prompted demands for justice for the victim and the implementation of a law guaranteeing the safety of all resident doctors in colleges and hospitals. Criticism has been directed towards West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the TMC government's handling of the situation, with protestors remaining unsatisfied even after her personal intervention.
The apex court has directed the CBI to file a status report by August 22 on the investigation in Kolkata rape-murder case.