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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Call to train doctors on domestic violence-Ananya Sengupta

Call to train doctors on domestic violence-Ananya Sengupta

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published Published on May 18, 2012   modified Modified on May 18, 2012

A government panel has recommended that domestic violence should not be treated only as a matter of crime but also as a health issue and medical students should be sensitised to deal with it.

The panel has suggested that the medical curriculum be tweaked to include ways in which doctors can address the problem of domestic violence if they suspect a woman patient is facing it at home.

“We realised that the public health system could be a means to address domestic violence in a meaningful way as they are often the first point of contact for abuse victims. A medical practitioner when faced with such a case should be able to offer a response tailored to address both the physical and mental aspect of a person’s trauma,” said Mary E. John, a doctor and director of the Centre for Women’s Development Studies and a member of the committee that drafted the Women’s Agency and Child Rights for the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-17).

“It is not always easy for a woman to complain against her husband, in many cases she doesn’t want her husband to be in jail, she just wants a speedy halt to the violence. These aspects need to be addressed by the law,” John said.

The women and child development ministry has to accept the recommendation and the cabinet has to approve it. What the proposed amendment means is that medical students and doctors would have a set of guidelines to refer to in case a battered woman walks into a hospital during their watch.

“There was a case once when a very young lady walked into emergency with a broken arm. That was her first visit. In the next few months, she kept coming in complaining of aches all over her body, and even sometimes (came) with bruises,” said a doctor working in a government hospital in Delhi who welcomed the recommendation made by the committee.

“Each time, she gave some excuse when asked how it had happened. Of course, it was obvious to all of us what was going on. I asked her about her bruises in a roundabout manner, and each time she indicated that no, her husband wasn’t hitting her. I wish I had a set of guidelines to guide me towards a more acceptable solution for her.”

Doctors say that there should be a set of domestic violence screening questions and the “hows” and “whys” of the abuse that should be drilled into medical practitioners at an early stage of their training.

The committee of senior officials in the women and child development ministry, also said that it was essential that physicians saw domestic violence less as a criminal justice issue and more as a public health matter.

“What this means is that now domestic violence will be linked to health issues and not just be a legal issue. Doctors, as the first engagement point for the victim, are best placed to screen them for domestic violence by asking questions and prodding the victim and then refer them to protection officers,” said Deepa Venkatachalam of Sama-Resource Group for Women and Health in New Delhi.

“Global research has shown that victims of such violence are likely to react to queries instead of volunteering information. It is also essential to sensitise medical care givers as they need to have a gendered understanding of the issue and not treat it as a private matter, which they usually do. Of course, all these initiatives will only work if the government works towards refurbishing the failing public health sector,” she said.

The Telegraph, 18 May, 2012, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120518/jsp/nation/story_15501852.jsp#.T7YoeZgYmDE


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