Instruction manual for medical test of sexual assault victims released

Dr S B Punphale,head of the Department of Forensic Medicine at B J Medical College,said the five-day training camp,organised by the state public health department and UNFPA,began on Monday. More than 30 doctors from different districts attended the camp at the college,he added.

Other cities where the training camps have been organised are Mumbai,Nagpur and Aurangabad.

An instruction manual was released by the state health department on Tuesday for the medical examination of sexual assault victims. The guidelines prohibits the degrading,medically crude and scientifically irrelevant finger test to examine the victims.

According to the guidelines,a wet mount slide test,where vaginal secretions can be obtained on plain sterile cotton wool swab and transferred to a glass slide,should be done first followed by the toluidine dye test. This should be followed by the U V light examination and the colposcope examination,where a magnifying lens with a green filter can be used.

The guidelines stipulate that no case should be refused for examination citing reasons like non-availability of a woman medical officer,immediate intervention and referral to higher centres for treating the victim. The manual has listed a desired standard operative protocol in forensic medical examination cases of sexual assault.

A precise scientific approach by a doctor is a must and the manual provides a step by step approach for the medico to treat,examine,collect important evidence,documenting and forming opinion.