The woman, suffering from depression, was admitted to the ICU of the Ghatkopar-based hospital after a drug overdose
Pancholi Hospital in Ghatkopar. Pics/Rajesh Gupta
A woman suffering from depression and admitted to the ICU of a Ghatkopar-based hospital was allegedly molested by a ward boy. While the Pant Nagar police arrested the accused and he was released on bail, the 35-year-old woman’s family has claimed that the hospital and police are covering up the matter.
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Accused Rakesh Rathod
The woman, who was living in Qatar, came to the city in December 2020 to get treated for depression. On February 8, the woman overdosed on drugs and was rushed to Hiranandani Hospital, Powai. As there were no ICU beds available at Hiranandani, she was shifted to Pancholi Hospital, Ghatkopar on February 9.
“They [hospital staff] were laughing while discussing me, telling each other that I will look like the devil if my face is washed. Meanwhile, a nurse called the ward boy to change my clothes. I was desperately trying to open my eyes or cry out but couldn’t,” the woman said in her statement to the police.
Later, the woman heard curtains being pushed aside and felt someone trying to unbutton her dress. She managed to open her eyes and saw the ward boy touching her inappropriately. Stunned by her open eyes, the man ran away. Unable to shout, the woman started banging the pulse oximeter attached to her finger, on the bed.
Nurses and a doctor rushed to her and she narrated the incident. “Initially, the staff tried to cover up the matter. But when we insisted, they allowed us to register a complaint, the woman’s brother said. A case was registered against accused Rakesh Rathod, 34, and he was remanded to two days’ police custody.
‘Need to see CCTV footage’
The woman’s family claimed that the hospital and police are not doing enough in the case. “The hospital has not shown us CCTV footage yet. We found scratches around our sister’s private parts and thighs but neither the hospital nor the police is taking the matter seriously,” said the woman’s brother. “It took the staff 10 attempts to put the IV in both her hands. Can we call them competent?” he said.
Dr. Bhagat Singh Patil from the hospital’s administration said, “We removed the employee as soon as the arrested happened. We have a very strict policy regarding employee behaviour.”
Pant Nagar police’s Senior Inspector Suhas Kamble said, “The family wants us to investigate the case further. We have asked Hiranandani Hospital to give us a detailed medical report of the woman to strengthen the case. If we get more evidence, we will add more sections in the FIR.”
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