Hospital rapes: Tip of the iceberg?

Hospital rapes are in the news, once again. But what about molestations in hospitals?

15 July, 2007:

When Anita was admitted in M Prakash Nursing home on July 6, 2007 to be treated for an asthma attack, little did she know what maltreatment lay in store for her. While in ICU under sedation, three ward boys shamelessly raped her. When she came to, she found one of the ward boys fondling her, while the other two looked on from outside the ward. Anita immediately informed her parents, and a formal complaint was lodged with the police.

Anita's case is just one of the many rapes that have been reported recently. They are not a new phenomenon either, having been reported from across the length and breadth of the country. But we would like to bring your attention to something that is possibly even more prevalent. Molestations in hospitals.

Had Anita not come to in time, would she have caught the culprits? Perhaps not. The issue is even more disturbing because while most hospitals have rubbished the rapes as isolated events, it is very likely that the problem is much bigger than what it looks like. Molesting a patient is ridiculously easy.

Why? The positions of power that hospital attendants (and doctors, of course) are in. And the ease with which one can get away.

While you were sleeping

A drugged patient often has no clear recollection of what is going on, or is not sure about the behaviour of ward boys - and will often dismiss a touch here and there as a vague memory or imagination. Even if they suspect something has happened, the relatives who accompany a patient will probably reassure them that they must have imagined it. And the patient will never be able to assert that she has been molested.

A patient sleeping under sedation is absolutely helpless. Often, behind a curtain, the relatives have no access and it is not practical to maintain a direct line of sight to the patient under sedation. Not to mention that most people will not even see a need to - we tend to blindly trust the people who are supposed to take care of the patients. Hospitals themselves have hardly acknowledged the threat.

It takes a really violent, criminal bend of mind to rape a patient - whether awake or unconscious. Everyone knows it is a crime, and there is a good chance that the patient may suspect something wrong. Consequences, if caught in the act or later by a suspicious patient or relative, can be a deterrent. However, molesting a sleepy, drugged or unconscious patient is extremely easy to pull off. There are enough chances arising from negligence, and the temptation to exploit the situation is always there - there is the sheer thrill of power and the helplessness of a woman is often a major turn-on in many circumstances as sexologists will testify. There are any number of books and movies which testify to the drive to feel up a woman without her knowledge, and the regular chances that come up will, at some point, be used by many.

Also, assume that the patient is not unconscious, and knows fairly well that something has happened. It will hardly ever be reported in the papers; the sense of shame associated with rape or molestation is very high indeed. Often, the patient will keep it to herself, or will just inform another female member of the family - and they would just take precautions in the future.

Necessary precautions

The physical security of patients under care in our hospitals needs serious attention. In USA, major emphasis is placed on the recruitment process of the staff, record keeping, and training of the staff for prevention of such incidents. Steps to protect whistle blowers are in place.

Private hospitals have mushroomed all over India in a big way. Often run with a clear quick-profit motive, these small and medium sized hospitals usually hire staff without proper background checks. Not that government hospitals are any better; background checks are just not something our governments specialise in.

But background checks when hiring hospital staff are critical to prevent sexual exploitation and molestations in hospitals. Another measure, as stipulated under a Sri Lankan law for women going into custody, could be extrapolated to include women under care. She should be allowed to let one person of her choice accompany her while in care. Since many treatment procedures do not allow non-hospital members at certain periods, this could prove tricky. To counter this, hospitals could impart appropriate instructions the patient’s guardian, so that the patient is not left alone while incapacitated or under sedation.

Warnings, in the form of posters, can be placed in hospitals to make the patients aware of the potential threat. While this will keep the sneaky molesters at bay, it may on the other hand, panic patients too. Some middle ground has to be found here.

Patients, who are capable of motor functions, could be provided with emergency buzzers to call for help if the situation arises. Though there already are buzzers available to patients, this could be an SOS buzzer which is solely for the purpose of calling for help in case of imminent violation. A special squad could be hired to patrol the premises and extend immediate help to the victims. A female supervisor should be present at all times in the premises to oversee and prevent any misconduct by hospital staff.

Apart from this, regular inspections could be carried out for such medical facilities in the country, where they are required to adhere to the standards of safety laid out by the Government.

However, while systems are put in place to check the abhorrent practice of rape in hospitals, care must be taken to ensure that the innocent are not punished. There was a recent case of a "hospital rape" at Bombay's Tata Memorial Hospital, where a cancer patient alleged that she was raped by a ward boy. The ward boy was immediately arrested; however, a DNA test on the accused did not match that of the foetus and the boy was exonerated. It appeared that the girl, who was already pregnant, had lied about the hospital rape to divert the shame of an unwanted pregnancy.

Molestation as a Birth Right

Breach of a person’s privacy has never been so easy. Crowded buses, trains, and public places are perfect for cases of ‘mistaken’ groping of men and women alike. All it takes is a sorry, it was just the crowd or the pushy mob attitude, and one gets away without as much as a frown or a hard stare.

Rape and molestation, even though the judiciary is reforming the recourse process, still remain crimes the Indian male will commit again and again, purely because it is his domain, women and the helpless are there only to serve at his corny feet.