Trainee docs at Chengalpattu GH protest against senior professor

CHENGALPATTU: Tension prevailed at Chengalpattu Medical College Hospital on Wednesday when several trainee doctors staged a protest inside the hospital premises demanding action against a senior professor who allegedly sexually harassed one of their peers.

A third year student who was a trainee doctor at the hospital was reportedly sexually harassed repeatedly by one of the professors in the college. However, despite lodging a formal complaint regarding the issue with the college dean, no action was initiated against the professor.

Following this, more than 50 trainee doctors walked out of the building and staged a sit-in protest inside the hospital premises and raised slogans against the harassment.

On information, Chengalpattu Town Police arrived at the scene and held talks with the protesters in the presence of a medical officer.

However, the group refused to withdraw their protest until proper action was taken against the perpetrator.

The protesters said, “With great difficulty we jump through several hurdles to procure a medical college seat. We work such long hours and go without adequate food or sleep on most days. On top of the already gruelling schedule, if we have to undergo sexual harassment by people who are supposed to be teaching us, it really affects our morale.”

They also pointed out that it was not their intention to put patients through any difficulty but the protest was aimed at the college administration taking a stand against any kind of sexual harassment that puts women’s safety in question.

It may be noted that according to a study published in the Turkish Journal of Bioethics in 2021, India has the one of the highest rates of depression and suicides among resident doctors where 90 per cent of the residents reported burnout, 30 per cent reported major depression and 16.7 per cent had suicidal ideations which has become a public health issue.