The Supreme Court has stated that it will constitute a national task force for the safety of doctors while hearing the case about the gruesome rape and murder of the 31-year-old trainee doctor at a Kolkata hospital. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud lambasted the West Bengal government and the hospital administration for postponing the filing of the FIR (First Information Report).

The Chief Justice stated that the task force would comprise a diverse set of doctors, who "will apprise us of modalities to be followed all over the country to ensure safety."

"Now that we are hearing this case, it is our earnest request to doctors all over the country. We earnestly appeal that we are here to ensure their safety and protection, which is a matter of the highest national concern," Chandrachud stated.

While hearing the case, the Chief Justice stated that the nation cannot wait for another rape and murder.

The bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra, also sought to know from the Trinamool Congress-led government what actions must be taken against the former principal, Dr. Sandeep Ghosh.

The National Task Force will be led by Admiral Aarti Sarin, the Director General of Medical Services for the Navy. Joining her is Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, a renowned gastroenterologist, and Dr M Srinivas, the Director of AIIMS Delhi. The task force also includes Dr Pratima Murthy from NIMHANS Bangalore, Dr Goverdhan Dutt Puri from AIIMS Jodhpur, and Dr Somikra Rawat from Gangaram Hospital, Delhi. Professor Anita Saxena, Vice Chancellor of a leading medical university, Dr Pallavi Saple from the JJ Group of Hospitals, and Dr Padma Srivastava, Chairperson of Neurology at Paras Hospital, Gurgaon, are also the members of the task force.

"The National Task Force shall make a report on all aspects of the action plan, and the other aspects could also be included. The force shall also suggest appropriate timelines based on which suggestions can be implemented by the hospitals on the basis of their existing infrastructure," the Chief Justice stated.

The National Task Force (NTF) is directed to submit an interim report within three weeks and a final report within two months from the date of this order, the court stated.

All stakeholders are required to collect information from all state-run and centrally-run hospitals on the following aspects: the number of security professionals employed, the presence of baggage screening at entry points, the number and facilities of resting rooms, CCTV coverage across hospital areas, training provided for managing patient grief, the existence of police outposts outside hospitals, and the implementation of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) as per the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) guidelines.

This data must be compiled and submitted by the central government within a month in the form of an affidavit.

Source: India Today