Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), July 2: The Odisha government has mandated all government, private doctors, and registered medical practitioners to conduct medical examinations of rape or attempted rape victims under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
According to a notification issued by Shalini Pandit, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare department, Section 184 of BNSS requires every victim woman alleging rape or attempted rape to undergo examination by a doctor or medical practitioner. This applies to hospitals, whether government-run, private, or under local bodies, with consent from the victim or a competent person on her behalf.
The directive emphasizes prioritizing the examination of such victims without delay when brought in by police officers. It mandates that any delay and reasons thereof must be documented in the register and examination report, including the exact time of examination commencement and completion.
Furthermore, doctors are instructed to issue medical examination reports within seven days in compliance with the new law. Section 53(3) of BNSS also requires providing the medical examination report to the arrested person or their nominee, post-examination, with non-compliance potentially leading to legal prosecution.
