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India court orders doctors' safety panel after rape, murder

Deutsche Welle

  20 Aug 2024, 13:29
Photo: Amit Dave/REUTERS

India's top court has ordered a national task force of doctors to make recommendations on safety to be established. It comes after the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata sparked nationwide protests.

India's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a nine-member task force should be set up to map out regulations governing safe work spaces for doctors.

The decree came days after the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor that led to protests across the country.

The Supreme Court's Chief Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud expressed deep concern over the "horrific" rape and murder at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

"Protecting the safety of doctors and women doctors is a matter of national interest and principle of equality. The nation cannot await another rape for it to take some," Chief Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud said.

Doctors have held protests and candlelight marches across India — even refusing care for non-emergency patients — since August 9 when the killing took place in the capital of India's West Bengal state.

Medics said the assault highlighted the vulnerability of healthcare professionals.

The judge said the task force should work out ways to make hospitals and medical campuses safer for doctors.

The top court criticized the state of West Bengal's government over the delay in filing a report about the rape and killing.

'Autopsy revealed that the doctor was murdered and the FIR [first information report] was registered at 11:45 pm. What were the authorities at the hospital doing?' the court noted.

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