Saluting the women

Hard on the heels of Rahul Mahajan?s medical records being disclosed by doctors at Apollo hospital, we have the Indian army blithely revealing the psychiatric records of Lt. Sushmita Chakravorty, who committed suicide last week.

Hard on the heels of Rahul Mahajan’s medical records being disclosed by doctors at Apollo hospital, we have the Indian army blithely revealing the psychiatric records of Lt. Sushmita Chakravorty, who committed suicide last week. This was perhaps spurred by the huge battering its public image has got over its attitude towards women officers, and was aimed at convincing everyone that Chakravorty took her life as a consequence of chronic depression. However, revealing this information publicly is a major breach of the basic moral and ethical rule that binds doctors, especially psychiatrists — to maintain complete confidentiality. In the event of Chakravorty’s death, none but her family — and least of all the media — had any right to any knowledge of her medical history.

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Further, Vice-Chief Lt. Gen. S. Pattabhiraman hasn’t helped matters much by proclaiming that the army would prefer to do without women. Unintended though it seems to be, his statement that the army is forced to recruit “suitably qualified women” since few capable men are coming forward is a backhanded compliment to the women. What the general is saying is that the army is not doing itself a favour by recruiting women. This is all the more reason why he and the rest of the army need to realise the need for treating women fairly and equitably, rather than ‘compassionately’. There is, as Lt. Gen. Pattabhiraman admits, little doubt about women officers’ abilities or merit. The problem lies in the mindsets of male officers who, despite the passing of more than a decade since women were first recruited into the army, are obviously still struggling to adjust to having them among their ranks.