In a horrifying incident in Surat, Gujarat a government hospital has made 100 women trainee clerks of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to stand without clothes for a long time. This was done to conduct the gynecological finger test.
The women who came to the Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research for a mandatory fitness test were asked to stand naked. They were asked to stand without clothes in groups of 10 people in a room. The women said that the hospital has breached their privacy in a very rude way. It is reported that the door of the room was not properly closed and only a curtain prevented the inside view.
The doctors who performed the finger test also asked unmarried women whether they have ever become pregnant. They allegedly asked about personal questions and behaved rudely.
The hospital has said that the mandatory fitness test is conducted to regularise the employee’s service on the conclusion of the three years of probation.
The women reported the incident to the SMC Employees Union about the disturbing finger test. The SMC Union has lodged a complaint with the municipal commissioners. AA Shaikh, General Secretary of the Employees Union said that the doctors have insulted the women by asking about getting pregnant and personal questions. He demanded the authorities to ban such inhuman medical tests.
Ashwin Vachhani, the hospital's head of gynecology department, has said, "We must conduct a physical examination on the women as per the guidelines. I do not know if such tests are conducted on men but for females, there are rules to figure out specific illness and therefore physical examination is done."