Patient Harassed By Private Nursing Home Employee In Kolkata's Ekbalpur

A medical staff member was arrested on Saturday for reportedly molestation of a female patient in a semi-conscious state at a nursing home in Kolkata, which again raises concerns about women's safety in West Bengal's healthcare system.

The woman had been admitted to the nursing facility for a gallbladder stone procedure, when the incident happened.

She stated that when she was in a semi-conscious state, a medical employee used her weakness by kissing her on the lips in the cabin when no one else was around. 

She was being moved from a general ward to a third-floor twin cabin when the incident allegdly happened, at approximately 11:40 am the same day.  

Shortly after the victim told her husband, he filed an official complaint at the Ekbalpur police station.

Following the correct legal procedures, Subhan was taken into custody from the hospital grounds that same afternoon at approximately 2:25 p.m. 

The defendant, Abdul Subhan, age 33, works as a Group D employee at the Ekbalpore Nursing Home in Kolkata's Ekbalpur neighborhood.  

CCTV footage taken within the hospital was examined by Police officials, which proved what the victim claimed the incident happened was right.

The police opened an inquiry and filed a case under Section 75(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in response to the complaint. 

After appearing in court, he was placed under judicial detention until August 7. 

The safety and security of both patients and medical staff at West Bengal's healthcare facilities are already being questioned in light of this case.  

Hospitals throughout the state have reported a number of unsettling episodes in recent months, including claims of carelessness, harassment, and assault.

The rape and killing of a female trainee physician at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College in August of last year was one of the most horrifying events that shook the medical community.  

Demands for stronger safety protocols and accountability, as well as protests from the medical community, were triggered by the tragedy.

Less than a month later, a laboratory technician at a Howrah hospital is accused of molestation of a 13-year-old girl.

The incident occurred when the youngster was brought for a CT scan while she was in the hospital getting treatment for pneumonia. 

The most recent incident at Ekbalpore Nursing Home has brought attention to the pressing need for improved security procedures, employee screening, and patient safety measures in the state's public and private hospitals. 

There is increasing pressure on authorities to make sure that these incidents are promptly addressed and that vulnerable individuals are shielded from mistreatment in medical facilities.

According to police, a further investigation is in progress, and more information might surface in the days ahead.

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