"I do not feel safe", says trainee doctor as Kolkata rape, murder heightens security concerns
Gauri Seth, a postgraduate trainee doctor at Calcutta Medical College, says that after a young Indian female trainee doctor was sexually assaulted and killed in August 2024, she would not go on duty again without carrying a pepper spray or scalpel to defend herself.
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00:00Gauri Seth, a postgraduate trainee doctor at Calcutta Medical College, says that after
00:07a young Indian female trainee doctor was sexually assaulted and killed in August 2024, she would
00:13not go on duty again without carrying a pepper spray or scalpel to defend herself.
00:18After this incident, I do not feel safe. I do not have the same confidence in me with
00:26which I used to go out at 2 o'clock in the night or 3 o'clock in the night, just for
00:31some refreshments to stay awake. I do not have the same confidence with which I used
00:37to deal aggressive patients.
00:40Seth said that phone calls from concerned relatives and friends worried for her safety
00:46have increased ever since the attack. According to the Indian Medical Association, about 60
00:52per cent of India's doctors are female, and three quarters of them have described being
00:57victims of verbal abuse, physical attacks and other harassment while on duty. They also
01:03described poor working conditions, including aggressive treatment from the families of
01:08patients and having to sleep on benches in dimly lit corridors due to a lack of resting
01:13facilities. Some doctors spoke of napping in break rooms with no locks during lengthy
01:18shifts, only to have people barging in.
01:21Total lapse in security. And that is the main reason that person got so much entry into
01:26such inner premises.
01:28Authorities continue to investigate the August 9th incident, for which no charges have yet
01:33been filed. On August 28th, West Bengal State Chief Mamata Banerjee announced that $12 million
01:41would be spent to begin work on improvements such as better lighting in health facilities,
01:47resting spaces and female security staff.
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