 "35% of doctors, mostly women, feel unsafe at night shifts, says IMA survey")
An IMA survey has found that one-third of the respondent doctors, mainly women, reported feeling “unsafe” or “very unsafe” during their night shifts, with some even considering carrying weapons for protection.
The study, which surveyed 3,885 doctors, revealed that 45 per cent of them lacked access to a duty room during night shifts. This survey, the largest of its kind in India, was conducted in response to the recent rape and murder of a female trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
Of the respondents, 85 per cent were under 35 years old, and 61 per cent were interns or postgraduate trainees, with women making up 63 per cent of the sample.
The survey revealed that 24.1 per cent of doctors felt unsafe and 11.4 per cent felt very unsafe, amounting to about one-third of the respondents. Among these, a higher percentage was women.
Duty rooms missing
Doctors aged 20-30, mostly interns and postgraduates, reported the lowest levels of safety. During night shifts, 45 per cent of respondents lacked access to a duty room, while those who did have access felt safer.
The survey also highlighted that many duty rooms were inadequate, suffering from overcrowding, lack of privacy, and missing locks. Consequently, doctors often had to find alternative resting areas, and one-third of the available duty rooms lacked an attached bathroom.
The report revealed that in more than half of the cases (53 per cent), duty rooms were located a significant distance from the ward or casualty area. Additionally, nearly one-third of the duty rooms lacked an attached bathroom, forcing doctors to leave the premises during late hours to access these facilities.
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Measures for safety of doctors
To improve safety, the doctors recommended several measures: Increasing the presence of trained security staff, installing CCTV cameras, ensuring adequate lighting, enforcing the Central Protection Act (CPA), limiting the number of bystanders, setting up alarm systems, and providing secure duty rooms with locks.
Doctors, especially women, nationwide report feeling unsafe during night shifts, highlighting a need for improved security in healthcare settings.
The study calls for better infrastructure, including secure, clean duty rooms, adequate lighting, and CCTV cameras. Effective staffing, triaging, and crowd control are also crucial for a safe work environment. Doctors have noted issues like insufficient security personnel, poor lighting, and unauthorised access. Some have even felt the need to carry self-defense tools.
The IMA said, “The survey findings have significant implications for broad policy changes, some of which have already been addressed by the Government of India in response to the Kolkata incident,” the IMA said.
[With PTI inputs]