Dr. Soumya was on night duty on August 11 at Hyderabad’s Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). “I felt uneasy being alone in the duty doctor’s room,” she shared, reflecting the growing sense of insecurity among doctors like her in Telangana, especially following the recent rape and murder of a female doctor in Kolkata’s R.
G Kar Medical College. The safety of doctors, particularly women doctors, is increasingly under scrutiny after this incident. Medical professionals from various medical colleges and government hospitals in Telangana have expressed concern about the lack of adequate security on the hospital premises.
At NIMS, while security personnel are stationed outside the hospital, there is a noticeable absence of security within critical areas such as the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), particularly during night time. Dr. Soumya Moguram, a second-year PG resident, highlighted that despite a senior nephrologist being assaulted by patient attendants last year, the security situation has not improved.
She also pointed out issues at the girls’ hostel, where the security guard on duty is often found asleep, failing to monitor who enters or exits the premises. “In the emergency wards, where two or three security personnel are stationed, their presence is frequently insufficient to prevent attacks on doctors,” she said. Dr.
Ramya Varkala from Government Medical College, Nizamabad, who was attacked by a patient’s attendant last year, highlighted the lack o.