The intervention of the hospital’s union was necessary to have the victim returned to the hospital, yet she still had not received a forensic examination or consultation with a psychologist. Hospital employees criticised this as a “crude intervention in the treatment process,” emphasising the distress and additional trauma imposed on the victim by such handling.
This incident has sparked outrage among hospital staff and advocates for victims’ rights, highlighting significant lapses in sensitivity and procedure in dealing with cases of sexual assault.
The full statement by the hospital personnel
We are deeply shocked and distressed by the treatment of a female rape victim who sought medical attention at our hospital’s emergency room for lower abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, having been raped three days prior to her visit.
Following the advice of our on-duty staff, the victim contacted the police, but the subsequent events were utterly shameful. The police interfered brutally with her care process, making her wait for extended hours at a police station to give a statement. This complete disregard for structured care highlights a profoundly sexist state policy towards women, particularly those who have been abused.
It is unthinkable, dangerous, and scientifically unsound that a woman reporting such symptoms post-rape was removed from our hospital and sent to a police station. The handling of abuse victims should not be solely in the hands of the police. If not for the intervention of a board member of our association, the woman would not have been returned to the hospital, nor would the police have come to the hospital to take her statement as required by law.
Our midwives and nursing staff, despite facing shortages and overwork, endeavoured to provide compassionate care, aware of the absurdity of the situation. The police promised her that she would be contacted the next day for psychological evaluation and medical examination, yet days have passed without any follow-up. This negligent process undermines the appropriate control and treatment of rape, which should not depend on the personal discretion or goodwill of individual staff members.
The severe understaffing within the National Health System has severely impacted our ability to staff our hospitals adequately with midwives, nurses, doctors, social workers, and psychiatrists. Basic provisions such as protecting sensitive data and having special examination areas are still being demanded. During a recent management meeting, it was necessary to remind officials of the basic requirements, such as ensuring a psychologist was available, though none were on duty due to the precarious employment status of these crucial workers.
The delay in conducting a forensic examination further exposes the damaging impact of governmental and ministerial policies that fail to protect and adequately provide for rape victims within our gynaecological hospital. The current system deters victims from reporting assaults and paradoxically shields the perpetrators more than the victims.
In response, we urgently demand the following:
- Establishment of a specialised care-management protocol for abused women.
- Elimination of police involvement in the medical treatment of abuse victims.
- Significant recruitment drives in gynaecological hospitals, ensuring these institutions are supported rather than undermined.
- We call upon POEDIN, OENGE, and primary health unions to actively address the handling of abuse victims, gender-based violence, and systemic sexism within healthcare.
It is imperative that we reform how abuse victims are treated in our healthcare system to provide them with the support and care they desperately need.
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