TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Goa Medical Council is of the considered opinion that the choice of doctor, for conducting medical examination of women in cases of rape, molestation or sexual assault, is the sole prerogative of the victim as per medical rules. Also, Goa Medical College sources say that there is an internal direction at the hospital that only female doctors should be deputed for medical examination of female victims.
If this is true then GMC is guilty of flagrant violations and criminal negligence with even GMC staffers themselves pointing out to a level of perversion among the examiners as well as victims and police being intimidated to keep their peace and allow morally degenerate and illegal practices.
“As per medical rules, victim has the right to choose a doctor for conducting her medical examination. No one can deny that right,” Medical Council president Dr Shekhar Salkar told Herald. “This right is been given, considering the mental trauma the victim had gone through at the time of the incident and thereafter,” Salkar said.
A senior GMC doctor said that during a recently held two-day workshop on ‘Examination of victims of sexual offences vis-à-vis court evidence’ organized by the victims assistance unit in collaboration with the Directorate of Women and Child Development in association with the Department of Prosecution and the Forensic Medical Department, GMC, it was recommended that only female doctors should be deputed for medical examination of female victims.
Also, there has to be a dedicated team of women doctors, who could examine rape victims, doctor said. “Based on this, GMC had issued internal guidelines on how a rape or sexual assault victim should be dealt with,” the doctor said.
Dr Salkar also said that State Government in consultation with Forensic Medical Department of GMC had recently made it clear that a senior female doctor should be deputed for the medical examination of rape victims either from the Pediatric or Gynecology Department.
However, he raised apprehension about complete negligence by the GMC authorities as far as this crucial guideline is concerned.
“The reason for this negligence could be lack of expert female doctors in the field,” Dr Salkar said adding ‘the rape or molestation victim goes through trauma, wherein for certain period they look at every man as a culprit and hence it is here that a female doctor can deal with her patiently and sensitively’.
