Doctor in Kerala accuses senior of making sexual advancements towards her

A young doctor in Kerala has accused a senior doctor at the General Hospital here of having made unwarranted sexual advancements towards her by forcefully hugging and kissing her in his private consultation room four years ago.

The Facebook post in which the doctor made the allegations has gone viral, prompting State Health Minister Veena George to order an investigation into the complaint on Friday. The alleged incident occurred in February 2019.

In a statement, the minister said she has instructed the Director of Health Services to investigate the matter and report the incident of sexual abuse to the police.

In the Facebook post, the doctor, who is currently employed abroad, claimed that the then Head of the Department of Medicine, a general physician, had ''physically assaulted'' her in his private consultation room, outside the hospital quarters.

She said she was an intern at the time and had gone to him to make an official complaint against a senior consultant.

''I went alone, as it was 7pm and I was getting ready to leave. He hugged and kissed me on my face, holding me close to him. I froze, and pulled myself away. I complained to the higher officials the next day. No action was initiated initially. I was in the middle of my internship and didn't further make any complaints as he was a senior official and had the power to sabotage my internship certification process. I was scared,'' she wrote.

She said that the senior doctor was recently transferred to another hospital, and no strict action was taken against him other than stalling his promotion.

The young doctor said it took her years to even talk about this issue openly.

''I want to expose the predator and make sure everyone knows about his antics. And the female doctors, including myself, whom he abused, should receive justice. Such doctors are a disgrace to society and must not be allowed to practise. I'm hoping my post reaches the right people, who will take stringent action against such perverts,'' she said.

Minister Veena George took note of the Facebook post and directed the necessary action.

The health department said it will also probe whether there were any attempts to downplay the incident in 2019, the minister's office said in a statement, adding that the vigilance wing of the health department would also investigate the matter.

Meanwhile, police said they will start the inquiry once they receive a complaint.