Published on: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 |
LIKAS: Plans are afoot to start a one-stop crisis centre (OSCC) at the Likas Hospital this year. Like other existing centres, it will operate round the clock. Its consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Mohamed Hatta Tarmizi, said it is a service to facilitate reporting and medical treatment for victims of sexual crime or abuse, domestic violence and child abuse.
"The OSCC will offer temporary protection and provide emergency treatment and counselling under one roof. There is no need for the victim to seek help anywhere else. Here, we carry out medical and forensic examination.
"A police report can also be made here, so the waiting-time is greatly reduced. There is privacy as other patients cannot see how the victim is being handled there," he told Daily Express after delivering a talk on "The Role of Medical Practitioners in Handling Cases of Abuse and Sexual Crime at the Seminar on Violence against Women and Children, here, Sunday.
Dr Mohamed Hatta said the OSCC adopts an integrated approach involving assistance from various Government agencies such as the Medical, Police and Welfare Departments, the counsellor and also non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with supporting roles.
"If necessary, we will refer the victim to specialists like the social medical officer, psychologist or psychiatrist."
In fact, the centre assists police in taking samples (examples, blood, body fluid, hair, nail, clothing, etc) to be used as forensic proof in cases of rape.
The victim, he added, needs to be counselled on the effects and risks of infection relating to venereal disease (VD), HIV and pregnancy.
"We will give the necessary treatment to prevent VD and pregnancy."
The OSCC at Queen Elizabeth Hospital was started in 1996 and since then, similar centres have been set up in Government hospitals in Sandakan, Tawau, Keningau and Lahad Datu.
Dr Mohamed Hatta said the country's first Government-level OSCC was established in the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital in 1993. Since then, more than 100 such centres have sprung up throughout the country.
Earlier, in his presentation, Dr Mohamed Hatta said the OSCC at QEH handled a marked increase in the number of reported cases of sexual crime in 2004 (367) compared with 188 in 2003, the major ones being rape and domestic violence.
The breakdown is:
* Rape - 132 (73 in 2003)
* Domestic Violence - 196 (96 in 2003)
* Molest - 39 (16 in 2003)
* Sodomy - 0 (3 in 2003)
"The rise in the number of reported cases is a result of heightened awareness among members of society. Victims are no longer shy to report to the authorities," he told the seminar.
Offering guidelines to rape victims to get medical help, Dr Mohamed Hatta: "Don't wash yourself, don't change your clothes. Go straight to the OSCC. Come early. You can take your bath here after examination by the doctor. We provide clean clothes too.
"Don't go home (if rape has taken place in the home)Éwe will place you in a safe place."
On the collection of evidence, Dr Mohamed Hatta said proof is important in court.
"The three important aspects for rape evidence are - penetration of the vagina, sex without consent and identification of the assailant. No proof means no case."
Medical Officers like Dr Mohamed Hatta face problems in handling rape cases.
"For most victims, there is delay in getting medical consultation and treatment. They come after one or two weeks, one month or even two years. "As a result, there is loss of proof, especially in terms of injury sustained during the act. Furthermore, there is loss of quality of forensic sample that can help police identify the criminal. Forensic sample is lost through bathing and change of clothes on the part of the victim," the seminar heard.
Asked on domestic violence cases, he said the role of the Medical Officer is to provide emergency treatment to victims.
"Speaking from experience, one common problem is that the victim is often prevented from getting treatment.
"By the time the victim comes, there is loss of injury marks on the body. So there will not be any record of injury in the medical report."
Quoting Section 19 of the Child Protection Act 1991, Dr Mohamed Hatta said it is the duty of the medical practitioner, including a medical officer, to report to the police if he or she suspects child abuse.
"Any registered medical practitioner who fails to comply with this regulation will, upon conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM1,000," he said.
For most victims of child abuse, there is also delay in getting medical consultation and treatment, according to the doctor.
