'Doctors must report child sexual abuse cases to police'

COIMBATORE: The Indian Medical Association, Tamil Nadu State Branch (IMA-TSB)along with IMA Nursing Home Board (IMA-NHB), TamilNadu Voluntary Health Association (TNVHA), Indian Academy of Pediatrics(IAP) and UNICEF held a one-day orientation seminar for medical practitioners, professors and students in the district to create awareness on the duties of a medical practitioner in child sexual abuse cases.
"Under Section 27 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, medical examinations must be carried out by doctors even if an FIR or complaint has not been registered. Doctors must be to be aware of this as major evidences can be lost if the initial examination is not carried out within 24 hours," said P Rajan, executive director, TNVHA.
Medical practitioners were also made aware of the various provisions of the POSCO Act such as the Section 27, 3.2 of the act under which it is mandatory for doctors to report cases of sexual offenses against a child to the police. "Every person is legally obligated to report such abuse as soon as they are aware of it; if he fails to do so, he may be punished with six months of imprisonment and slapped with a fine," said officials.
Over 100 medical professionals who participated in the meet demanded that this provision be made less stringent. "If children coming for urinary infections does not reveal sexual offenses committed against them, doctors cannot be held responsible as there are instances when they may be unaware about the abuse," said P Rajan.
Dr Sudhakar, superintendent of police, Coimbatore district also elaborated on the role of the medical practitioner in collecting evidences such as samples and specimens, making a report by recording the findings.
In another meeting in the city, technical experts of six major hospitals in the city along with BD India, a medical technology company, came together to form the 'Infection Control Forum' to address the emerging needs of the hospitals and nursing homes.
The meeting focused on avoiding healthcare associated infections. The six hospitals compiled guidelines to serve as a guidebook. "Standards and protocols need to be developed so that infections can be avoided in hospitals. With many cases being filed against doctors when patients develop infections after surgeries, hospitals need to ensure that the family of a patient is informed ahead of time about risks and complications that may rise," said Dr Sudhakar.