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Chennai: Doctors facing criminal charges for not mentioning rape in girl's handover report

Chennai: After six doctors did not mention rape in the case sheet of a minor, they were suspended by the higher authorities. The incident took place at the Dharmapuri Medical College and Hospital. The doctors allegedly recorded the rape as "medico-legal". The victim was raped by two men.

The State Health Secretary, Beela Rajesh wrote to the director, Dr A Edwin Joe, asking him to take action against the accused.

The victim was raped on November 5, 2018.

According to the Times of India, the minor was raped by two men in the Sittilingi village in Dharmapuri. After the incident, the victim was taken to the Harur government hospital. The doctors in the Harur hospital said that the victim had been raped and an FIR was filed in relation with the same. The same day, the victim was referred to a children's home in Dharmapuri. Following this, the victim was taken to the Dharamapuri Government Medical College and Hospital after she encountered severe bleeding and vomiting. The victim passed away on November 10. 

A senior health official said that the doctors did not mention rape in the case sheet. The doctors were even going to hand the body of the victim to her family without conducting an autopsy. The social workers of the children's home stopped them from doing so. It was added that significant information like this should never be aborted. Even though the girl came from a children's home, the doctors did not deal with the case properly. The doctors dealt with the case with negligence. 

To garner support, the doctors have turned to doctors' forums and colleagues. One of the doctors said that they tried their best to save the victim's life but were not aware of the fact that she had been raped. They added that the victim was attended by her mother and they did not get a case sheet. The doctor denied having any knowledge about the children's home and the police case. 

The victim was conscious when she was admitted to the hospital. A doctor said that the victim was diagnosed with vertigo and was treated with IV fluids in the fluid ward. The CT scan of the victim showed mild swelling after which necessary medications were provided to her. However, by the time the victim was sent for an MRI scan, she had collapsed. The victim was then sent to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) but she eventually passed away. Allegedly, it was only after the victim's death that the doctors got to know that she was raped.

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