Safety Concerns for Female Doctors in India’s Hospitals Persists

Ongoing Fears in Uttar Pradesh’s Rural Healthcare Centers

INDIA: In the rural heart of Uttar Pradesh, female doctors continue to face significant challenges in their workplaces, grappling with daily safety concerns. According to a report published by The Hindu, Dr. Swati Sagar, a dental surgeon at a community health center in Dhaulana, Hapur district, is particularly vigilant, ensuring she leaves her post before sunset to return safely to her home in Noida, 40 kilometers away.

The health center where Dr. Sagar works is situated on a remote piece of land surrounded by expansive green fields, and by 7 p.m., the roads are deserted, and the shops are shuttered. This isolation exacerbates the sense of insecurity that pervades the area. “It’s an unsafe area. There’s no policeman in sight. Drunk men enter hospital premises often, even during the daytime. The guards don’t help, and there are no CCTV cameras either,” Dr. Sagar told The Hindu. She emphasized that she is the only female doctor at the center, a fact that heightens her vulnerability.

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Dr. Sagar’s concerns have been further intensified by the recent horrific incident in Kolkata, where a postgraduate trainee doctor was allegedly raped and murdered at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. “I have been especially on edge since the Kolkata incident,” she remarked, reflecting the broader fears among female healthcare workers in similar positions across the country.

Unsafe Work Conditions in Urban Outskirts

The sense of insecurity is not confined to rural areas. In Dasna, on the outskirts of Ghaziabad, about 25 kilometers from Dhaulana, female doctors like Dr. Neha Chaudhary, who works in the gynecology department at the local community health center, face similar threats. Dr. Chaudhary has encountered several instances where male patients have behaved inappropriately, and she has had to rely on the threat of calling the police to protect herself. “Men have a habit of sitting inside hospital premises without any prescription or appointment due to the lack of security guards,” she explained to The Hindu.

She also recounted a particularly disturbing incident where a group of men barged into her room, with one even pulling down his pants and demanding treatment for his thigh. Such occurrences have become almost routine for her. “This has practically become an everyday thing,” she said, highlighting the ongoing challenges of ensuring a safe work environment.

Struggles of Interns in Remote Hospitals

The plight of female doctors in India’s healthcare system extends to interns working in remote locations. Dr. Noor, an intern at Maharaja Suheldev Autonomous State Medical College in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, shared with The Hindu her trepidation about commuting to work, particularly during night shifts. “Although my shift timings are 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., I reach much earlier because I don’t want to travel after nightfall,” she said. Dr. Noor’s experience is not unique; the lack of security guards and surveillance at the hospital leaves her and other female staff members feeling particularly vulnerable.

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Female Doctors Seek Safer Alternatives

For some female doctors, the persistent threats and lack of support have led them to abandon public sector jobs altogether. Dr. Priyanka Pandey, now a private practitioner in Lucknow, recounted her traumatic experience while working at a district hospital in Jhansi. A politician’s relative threatened her with acid after she asked him to leave the women’s ward. Despite filing a First Information Report (FIR), she received no support from her colleagues or superiors, leading her to leave the government healthcare system entirely. “Every day was a struggle to save myself from another attack,” Dr. Pandey told The Hindu. Her story reflects the broader struggles of female doctors across India’s state-run hospitals, where safety concerns remain largely unaddressed.

The Urgent Need for Reforms

The article by The Hindu underscores the critical need for reforms in India’s healthcare system to protect female doctors. From rural outposts to urban fringes, these professionals are exposed to significant risks, and the existing security measures are woefully inadequate. The stories of Dr. Sagar, Dr. Chaudhary, Dr. Noor, and Dr. Pandey highlight the urgency of implementing comprehensive protections for female healthcare workers, who continue to work under the shadow of fear and insecurity.