Woman survived suicide bid, sexually assaulted by hospital staffer in ambulance

After an ambulance driver raped a patient in Kerala in 2020, the health department had barred shifting woman patients at night unless it was an emergency and mandated that a health worker will accompany the patient

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A young woman being shifted from one hospital to another in Kerala’s Thrissur district was sexually assaulted by a hospital staffer accompanying her on Sunday, police said.

Police said the hospital staffer accused of sexual assault by the woman has been dismissed from services (File Photo)

The woman was initially rushed to the Kodungallur taluk hospital after she attempted to die by suicide and referred by doctors to Thrissur’s Government Medical College 50km away when her condition deteriorated.

K Dayalal, a contractual employee in the taluk hospital’s electricity department, was assigned to accompany the woman to the medical college.

Police said Dayalal sexually assaulted the woman in the ambulance. She was being treated for consuming poison.

The woman told the on-duty nurse about the alleged assault during her treatment at the medical college. The hospital alerted the police and the accused was arrested before he could flee.

Kerala health minister Veena George has sought a report from the hospital superintendent and Dayalal’s services with the hospital were terminated.

To be sure, the government ordered hospitals that women patients could not be taken alone in an ambulance unless accompanied by health workers after an ambulance driver raped a Covid-19 patient in Kottayam in 2020.