State to counsel medical profs, students

• First counselling will be conducted at SV Medical College in Tirupati soon
• Medical Education Department will strengthen Gender Harassment Prevention Committees in medical colleges

Guntur: In the wake of PG medical student Dr Shilpa suicide at Sri Venkateswara Medical College in Tirupati, the Medical Education department has decided to conduct counselling sessions to professors and students in all the government medical colleges in the state to check the suicides of students and to better relations between them. 

Director of Medical Education Department Dr K Babji took this decision after discussing with the NTR University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Dr C V Rao here on Friday. 

Medical and health special chief secretary Poonam Malakondaiah was serious about Dr Shilpa suicide case. 

It may be recalled that unable to bear the harassment of Prof V V Lakshmi, a PG medical student of Guntur Medical College Dr Sandhya Rani was also committed suicide in Guntur city in October 2016. Two-years-ago, a dental college student in Guntur city, unable to bear the harassment of professors in the college, was committed suicide. 

Director of Medical Education and Dr NTR University of Health Sciences VC Dr C V Rao are expected to attend the first counselling session to be held at SV Medical College in Tirupati. 

According to sources in the DME office, the official will first take steps to activate Gender Harassment Prevention Committees in medical colleges. 

DME Dr K Babji who visited SV Medical College on Thursday decided to write letters to principals of government medical colleges regarding harassment complaints from students by displaying this letter on the notice boards. 

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr K Babji said, “We will a conduct counselling on improving relations between the professors and students. Students can lodge complaints with the principals if they have any problems. 

We will take steps not to recur suicides and strengthen the Gender Harassment Prevention Committees.”

Former MLC of Guntur-Krishna district teachers constituency K S Lakshmana Rao said, “Every medical college should constitute a committee with the senior professors to curb the suicides. 

It is responsibility of officials to respond as soon as they receive complaints. The government should take stern action against the accused in the suicide cases.”