BENGALURU: The 23-year-old Nepali daily wage worker who was raped on Thursday was left unattended for nearly three hours by the staff of the government-run Bowring Hospital on Saturday. She lay bleeding on a stretcher in full public view in the casualty ward, becoming an object of curiosity for the people going in and out of the ward.
The hospital staff treated it as a normal case of illness instead of showing the sensitivity needed to treat a rape victim. They directed her to different wards and even asked for the X-ray and scanning charges to be paid first. Reacting to this, K S Manjunath, medical superintendent of Bowring hospital, said he will initiate action if there was any lapse by the staff.
The girl was allegedly raped by a gang of unidentified men and left inside an abandoned house in Avadadevanahalli in Anekal on Thursday. The incident came to light only on Saturday and she was brought to Bowring hospital for treatment by Parijatha who works with Stree Jagriti Samithi, an NGO.
Parijatha told New Indian Express, “I brought her to Bowring around 11.30 am. She was forced to lie on a stretcher as there was no bed available. Meanwhile, the ambulance driver who was waiting for the stretcher threatened to put her on the floor and take it away as he was in a hurry. The hospital staff forced me to take her to Ward No. 1 from where they referred her to another ward. Then again she was forced to wait further."
“At 2 pm a doctor signed on a paper before his shift ended. After he left, the staff told me his signature was not valid and I needed to get the signature of the second shift doctor. Making matters worse, the staff asked me to pay the charges for the X-ray and scanning at the cash counter. It took half an hour to convince them that the victim was traumatized as she was sexually assaulted by a gang of men and the hospital staff should not ask any money for the treatment. Later they agreed to start treatment.”
The 23-year-old Nepali girl who was raped on Thursday was left unattended for nearly three hours by the staff of the government-run Bowring Hospital on Saturday. Speaking to Express, K S Manjunath, Medical Superintendent of Bowring hospital, said, “I do not think that there was delay in the treatment and I will check with the duty doctor. It is a procedure that the doctor who comes at 4pm for duty is updated on the patient’s condition. If I find any negligence on the part of the staff I will take serious action. In a couple of cases, there were similar allegations and the errant staffers were removed from service. In a case of sexual assault, no fee is to be collected for any service.”
Parijatha, who works for an NGO and brought the victim to Bowring hospital, said she was horrified by the insensitivity of the staff. I plan to file a case with the health department over the harassment of the rape victim at the hospital. I have documents to give as evidence,” she said.
When contacted, Women’s Commission Chairperson Nagalakshmi Bai said it was really a shameful act by the hospital staff. “The staff of Bowring hospital are not the only ones irresponsible. I know that many government hospitals are not sensitive while attending to such victims. I will visit the hospital on Monday to meet the victim and also urge the medical officer to take immediate action against those who demanded money for X-ray and scanning. I will then report it to the Health Minister,” she said.
One-stop centre?
Bowring hospital was the first centre where a ‘One-Stop Crisis Centre’ was established in the state under the Nirbhaya Fund to help survivors of sexual assault to ensure speedy punishment to the culprits. Special wards are designated for the victims so as to maintain their confidentiality, according to Jyothi A, president, State unit of National Federation of Indian Women.
Anekal gangrape: Owner of building questioned
BENGALURU: The Anekal police on Sunday questioned the owner of the building where the 23-year-old Nepali girl was gangraped on Thursday, and recorded his statement. However, they have no clues about the suspects so far and no CCTV footage was found from around the locality.
A senior police officer said the victim clearly said in her statement that she was raped by a group of men who later left her immobilised by dropping a boulder on her legs. “A special team is on the lookout for the accused. The building owner was not aware that the girl would sleep there. He lives in Delhi and came to Bengaluru on Sunday as he was asked to attend a police enquiry,” he said.
“We have taken two youths into custody for questioning. The CCTV footage obtained from the locality did not yield any leads about the movement of the accused. She fell from the compound wall when she tried to escape from the premise after the incident,” the officer said.A senior medical officer at Bowring Hospital said the medical report will be sent to the police but refused to divulge any details.