The High Court yesterday ordered the Directorate General of Health Services to ensure that male doctors do not conduct medical tests to determine the age of rape victims.
On April 2, the court had asked the DGHS director general to appear before it to clarify if he implemented a previous order on appointing female doctors to examine rape victims.
DG Deen Mohammad Noorul Huq’s lawyer SM Rezaul Karim informed the court that 40 female physicians had been appointed to different hospitals across the country.
He also apologised for not informing the court about it on time.
The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hosain yesterday disposed its previous ruling and cleared the DG.
On April 16 last year, the HC on its own motion issued a ruling, asking the government and Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s director to explain why they should not be directed to take action against male doctors examining rape victims to determine their ages.
