Silchar: Silchar Medical College and Hospital of Assam has now withdrawn the advisory that criticized and discriminated against women doctors and staffers by putting the responsibility on them for safety. The advisory, released in the aftermath of the recent rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata, had warned women against traveling alone at night to secluded places and suggested that they should be ‘well composed emotionally and graciously behave’ with the public to ‘avoid unnecessary attention.’
The Junior Doctors’ Association (JDA) described the advisory as making students feel ‘deeply saddened and ashamed,’ while doing little to address the objective concerns of safety and security. To the backlash of the prior advisory, SMCH Principal Dr. Bhaskar Gupta rescinded its issuance noting that a new one will be out soon for the purpose of strengthening healthcare personnel security and safety.
The initial advisory was also incongruous with sensitive victim blaming and excluded clear steps on how security could be improved. Lighting was an issue of concern, as was security; they wanted more security guards and surveillance to guarantee a secure university.
The JDA raised concerns that instead of focusing on the safety of learners and staff, the government was emphasizing changes in women’s behaviour. With their action of removing the advisory, SMCH has accepted the fact that making campuses safer cannot be done just once or through advisory but requires a more robust strategy.
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