No separate rooms for us, no washrooms: Plight of women doctors in night shift

The 31-year-old trainee doctor had just finished dinner with her colleagues and had gone to rest in a seminal room of the hospital she worked at.

She was on night duty. In the intervening night, the woman was raped and brutalised before being killed. Her battered body was found the next day. The incident has sparked a nationwide protest and people from the medical fraternity have come forward, voicing their demand to be made to feel safe while they work to save lives.

India Today TV spoke to doctors, who highlighted the threats of attacks that constantly hang over their heads.

In Delhi, resident women doctors working at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital spoke on condition of anonymity. They highlighted the key issues they face while working long hours and night shifts.

“Working on the night shift in a government set up is very difficult. We don’t have a DDR (Duty Doctor Rooms) specifically for women. I don’t think this facility is in any government hospital. All the washrooms are closed or not in a condition to be used, we don’t even have a drinking water facility. On night shifts, we have to go all the way to the canteen or somewhere else for water… Whenever we ask for these facilities, we are told that we are serving humanity. This is mostly what resident doctors face,” the resident woman doctor at RML said.

Another one pointed out, “Few departments have a DDR, but they are shared. Male and female share this space. Even if there’s a bed in a DDR, it has to be shared. DDRs don’t have latches, many times even patient families have walked into DDR… there is no safety. Imagine if a male and a female doctor are on night shifts, they have to share that space. It is impossible to match rosters based on DDR availability.”

“Adding to that, we don’t have basic hygiene, we don’t have washrooms… We forgo our lunches, breakfasts, but doctors all over India are treated like this in government hospitals,” she added.

Dr pankaj Arora, deputy medical superintendent at new OPD at PGI Chandigarh, said, “This issue of doctor security is a massive issue. PGI has made critical decisions to ensure that patients don’t suffer despite protests.”

“We want safety and security. There is a medical college, but no proper infrastructure and no proper washroom. How are we supposed to offer services when such heinous crimes are happening to us? We want a proper investigation to take place,” Dr Arora said.

Dr Arora highlighted incidents of patients’ families beating up doctors and spoke about the need for workplace security.

“We come here to work, we work day and night. We do nights duties – our parents think we are safe, but with this (Kolkata) incident, that trust has been broken. How are we safe?” Dr Arora questioned.

“We want security inside hospital,” Dr Arora added.

Dr Sampat Suryavanshi, president of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), also flagged the issue that doctors on night duty face.

“There are no centralised hostels that the government hospitals have for resident doctors in Mumbai and some of the hostels taken on lease are very far from the hospitals. So there have been issues which some doctors have faced when they have to attend calls late at night,” Dr Suryavanshi said.

The Kolkata rape and murder incident has brought the issue of women safety to the forefront once again.

Dr. Sheetal Verma, working in the Microbiology Department at UP’s KGMU, said that women’s safety is a major issue and after the incident in Kolkata, most of the female doctors are worried about their own safety.

Dr Verma pointed out that late night shifts are a part of work, but dealing with all kinds of patients is a matter of concern for doctors, who also face misbehaviours.

Although there are provisions for separate restrooms and washrooms for female doctors, but more secure environment needs to be made sure, Dr Verma said.

Speaking to India Today TV, Dr Arunima said that demand for the implementation of Central Protection Act (CPA) is a major issue. She said that the female doctors sometimes have to share common washrooms with their male counterparts, which is a safety issue.

Strict surveillance of strangers within the hospital needs to be insured as well, Dr Arunima added.