Mumbai: Who made child wait? Cooper to send BMC report

Hospital jumps to action after mid-day reports on sexual abuse case child made to wait for tests; says investigations are on

Juhu's Cooper Hospital has started investigations into the allegations made against doctors for making a sexual abuse case child wait for two hours. The inquiry comes following mid-day's report on July 12, on how a seven-year-old child, who was sexually abused in Maldives, was made to run pillar to post to get medical tests conducted. According to the hospital administration, a report would be submitted to the BMC commissioner soon.

Claiming that hospital authorities have found the entry of the complainant's visit to the casualty ward on July 5 for a medical examination following sexual abuse in the Maldives, the hospital official said, "We have checked the CCTV footage of the casualty unit and the department where the child was sent. We have recorded all the statements of the doctors and nurses on duty and are compiling all the documents and would submit a report to the BMC commissioner soon."

Also Read: Mumbai: Hospital keeps 7-year-old sexual abuse victim waiting, refuses examination

But, the administration has refused the allegations that the child was made to wait for two hours. "Those allegations are false," the official added. On July 12, mid-day reported about the trauma that the child and mother had to go through at the civic-run hospital for getting a medical examination done in connection with a child abuse case.

In the first week of July, the child and her mother were on a five-day vacation in the Maldives. On the last day of the trip, when the child went for a jet ski ride, the driver allegedly molested her. Following that, an FIR was registered against the erring driver. Since they had an early morning flight the next day, the mother requested the police to allow them to perform the medical examination in Mumbai.

After landing in Mumbai on Saturday, the family headed to Cooper Hospital, where they allegedly had to face harassment. The family claims that the doctors at the hospital were insensitive and refused to do the examination without presence of a female constable, which is a violation of POCSO Act. They didn't even inform the nearby police station about the case.

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"We kept waiting and my child started feeling dizzy. I couldn't see her like this. This is the reason people don't report sexual harassment. Where is the system?" asked the mother, when talking to mid-day on Thursday. However, the hospital states that they will take action if they are found at fault. They are sure they have conducted proper investigations, as they receive hundreds of such cases every month.

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