Sexual assault in ICU: Gynaecologist left out crucial details from statement, claims survivor

Kozhikode: A complaint has been filed against the doctor who conducted the medical examination of a woman who was sexually assaulted in the intensive care unit of the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

The doctor allegedly omitted important information in the survivor's complaint and gave a statement in favour of the accused to the police.

The survivor lodged a complaint against gynaecologist Dr K V Preetha at the city 's police commissioner's office and the principal of the medical college.

“The Mother and Child Welfare Centre has asked the superintendent to submit a report on the matter with immediate effect as the issue is of serious nature,” the principal said.

Hospital attendant M K Saseendran sexually assaulted the survivor while lying unconscious in the ICU after thyroid surgery in March 2023.

Shortly after the incident, the hospital superintendent had instructed Dr Preetha to examine the woman and submit a report. The medical college police registered a case in the incident and recorded the statement of the doctor who conducted the medical examination, but as alleged, crucial information was left out in this statement.

'No injury or bleeding was seen in the survivor's body during the medical examination. No samples were collected as no internal organ injury was detected. The survivor did not complain of serious sexual assault during the examination," Dr Preetha said in the statement.

The survivor came forward alleging sabotage in the case after the aforesaid statement pf the doctor became public. She alleged that the omission of crucial information was an effort to help the accused. The woman said she had clearly informed the doctor about the incident.

"From the very beginning, there was an attempt to protect the highly influential accused and sabotage the case. The attempt to subvert the statement is part of the ploy," she said.