THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A young woman who attempted suicide was allegedly sexually assaulted by a hospital staffer on her way from one hospital to another in Kerala’s Thrissur district on Sunday, police said. The woman was initially rushed to the Kodungallur taluk hospital after she attempted to die by suicide but when her condition deteriorated doctors referred her to Thrissur’s Government Medical College 50km away. But while she was on her way to the medical college, K Dayalal, a contractual employee in the taluk hospital’s electricity department assigned to accompany her allegedly sexually assaulted her. Police said that the woman told the on-duty nurse about the alleged assault as she was being treated for consuming poison at the medical college. The hospital alerted the police and the accused was arrested before he could flee. As per reports, Kerala health minister Veena George has sought a report from the hospital superintendent and Dayalal’s services were terminated. For the safety of women patients, the government ordered hospitals to ensure that women are not being taken alone in an ambulance unless accompanied by health workers after an ambulance driver raped a Covid-19 patient in Kottayam in 2020.
