NHRC notice to Maha govt over patient molested in civic hospital

New Delhi: The NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) on Friday issued a notice to the Maharashtra government over the alleged molestation of a 14-year-old seizure patient by a sanitation staff inside the ICU ward of a municipal hospital in Thane.

The National Human Rights Commission has send the notice to the chief secretary and asked as to whether such incidents have occurred in the past in other government hospitals.

The commission in its notice has also sought for a detailed report in the matter, including action taken against the accused person, and relief, rehabilitation and counselling provided to the girl.

The rights panel has also asked what steps have been taken by authorities to ensure the safety and security of in-patients at government-run hospitals. The response is expected within four weeks, the NHRC said.

"The commission has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports that a 39-year-old sweeper tied the hand of a 14-year-old seizure patient to the bed and molested her inside the ICU of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC)-run Kalwa hospital. He was subsequently arrested," the rights panel said in a statement.

The cleaner allegedly molested the teenage patient after tying her hand to the bed at the civic-run hospital, police said. The minor girl was admitted to the hospital on December 19 as she was suffering with seizures.

During treatment, one of her hands was tied to the bed to administer saline, they said. On Saturday, the accused person came to the ICU ward. He tied the girl's other hand to the bed and allegedly touched her inappropriately, as per the First Information Report (FIR) registered in the case.

Police said on Thursday that a patient on an adjacent bed saw the girl panicking. Sensing something amiss, the patient sharing the ward with the girl raised an alarm, following which the cleaner was caught, they said.

Based on a complaint lodged by the girl's father, the cleaner was arrested by the Kalwa police on Monday and booked under Indian Penal Code's Section 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with an intent to outrage her modesty) and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.

The NHRC has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, amount to gross human rights violation of the victim patient.

The victim girl was in lawful custody of the hospital and it was obligatory on the part of the hospital to provide her proper safety during the indoor treatment, it said.

"It is necessary for the employer authorities to check credentials of workers, who are being deputed in sensitive areas. Due to lapse, on the part of the hospital authorities, the girl was victimised by the accused employee.”

"The shameful incident occurring at a government-run facility raises a question mark on the safety of the patients, particularly the female patients in the hospital," the commission said.