Rape victims face ordeal of travelling to GMC for examination
MARGAO
While the victim was subjected to medical examination late night, the episode once again threw up the oft-repeated question why victims of rape and sexual assault from down south have to undergo the ordeal of travelling to Bambolim for medical examination for no fault of theirs.
When this question was posed to Hospicio medical superintendent Dr Aira Almeida why victims of sexual assault are not subjected to forensic examination at the hospital, she claimed that Hospicio doors are indeed open for victims of sexual assault, only if the victims or the police bring them to the hospital.
If Dr Almeida is to be believed, a forensic cell has been established at the Hospicio headed by a gynecologist to carry out medical examination of rape victims. “A room on the second floor of the new building houses the forensic cell. The kits required to examine the victims are in place. We have also made arrangement for a counsellor to counsel the victims,” Dr Aira said.
What’s interesting to note is that while the forensic cell had been in place over the last couple of months, the men-in-uniform from South Goa continue to ferry victims of sexual assault to the GMC for medical examination. A glance at the register maintained by Hospicio has revealed that only three to four victims
were examined by the forensic cell, indicating that most of the victims have been taken to the GMC, Bambolim, for examination.
When The Goan called up Margao police sub-division, DySP Dinraj Govekar, to shed light on the reasons behind taking rape victims to the GMC, Bambolim, he was clear in stating that there’s no facility in examining the victims at Hospicio. “We prefer to take the victims to the GMC because of the availability of doctors and other facilities at Bambolim. I do not think that Hospicio has round- the-clock facility to examine rape victims,” he said.
He feigned ignorance when his attention was drawn to the fact that a forensic cell has been set up at Hospicio a couple of months ago, saying the police have not been informed about the cell by the hospital authorities. “The police have no problem in getting the victims medically examined at Hospicio, but we have not been informed by the Hospicio till date. We will certainly refer the victims to Hospicio in future,” DySP Govekar said.
Women’s and children rights activist, Auda Viegas, recalled her battle with successive governments with a plea to set up a forensic cell at Hospicio to save the victims the torture of travelling to GMC. “If Hospicio has a forensic cell, then why authorities such as the police have not been intimated by the hospital?” Auda questioned, while demanding streamlining of the system in the interest of the victims.
Incidentally, Dr Aira maintained that the forensic cell has examined victims, who had reported at the casualty. “They have been examined by our forensic cell and the medical examination report handed over to the police,” Dr
Aira asserted.
