Bullet points of The rape and murder of a doctor in hospital alarm India

Bullet points of The rape and murder of a doctor in hospital alarm India
- A 31-year-old female trainee doctor was found dead in a seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, with extensive injuries, and a hospital volunteer worker has been arrested for rape and murder.
- The incident has sparked outrage and renewed demands for a federal law to protect healthcare workers in India, who are often vulnerable to violence and abuse.
- Women make up nearly 30% of India's doctors and 80% of the nursing staff, and are more likely to be victims of crime, with a 4% increase in crimes against women in 2022.
- The crime highlights the alarming security risks faced by healthcare workers in many state-run health facilities, with reports of overworked doctors being forced to rest in cramped and unsafe conditions.
- The arrested suspect had unrestricted access to the ward and was captured on CCTV, and police allege that no background checks were conducted on the volunteer.
- The incident is not an isolated case, with reports of similar incidents of violence and abuse against healthcare workers in India, including the 1973 case of Aruna Shanbaug, who was left in a persistent vegetative state after being raped and strangled.
- Doctors in India often face mob fury from patients' relatives and are vulnerable to attacks and abuse, with some reporting incidents of being touched or groped while working late shifts.
- The Indian Medical Association has called for stricter laws to protect healthcare workers and for the government to take action to improve security in hospitals.