Delhi gang rape: Singapore medics battle to save 'extremely critical' victim

SINGAPORE: Doctors in Singapore
battled on Thursday to save the life
of the girl who sustained horrific
injuries in a gang rape, after she was
dramatically airlifted from New
Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital.
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
vowed that the 23-year-old's
attackers would face swift justice,
doctors at Singapore's Mount
Elizabeth Hospital described her
condition in the intensive care unit as
"extremely critical".
Dr Kelvin Loh, chief executive officer
at the hospital said in a statement:
"As at 7pm (1100 GMT) the patient
remains in an extremely critical
condition. She is under treatment at
Mount Elizabeth Hospital's intensive
care unit (ICU). Prior to her arrival,
she has already undergone three
abdominal surgeries and
experienced a cardiac arrest in
India. A multi-disciplinary team of
specialists is taking care of her and
doing everything possible to stabilise
her condition."
The government, which is paying for
the woman's treatment, approved the
decision to transfer her from Delhi's
Safdarjung Hospital where she had
been treated since the December 16
assault on a bus in the centre of the
capital.
The victim's relatives accompanied
her to Singapore.
"Since the day of the incident, it has
been our endeavour to provide her
the best of medical care," home
minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.
According to police, six men took
turns to rape the woman and assault
her with an iron bar, leaving her
with severe intestinal injuries, before
they threw her out of a bus that they
had taken for a joyride.
While doctors in Singapore gave no
details about the treatment she has
received since her early morning
arrival, their counterparts at
Safdarjung said Mount Elizabeth was
chosen as it has a multi-organ
transplant facility.
"With fortitude and courage she has
survived the after-effects of the
injuries so far, but her condition
continues to be critical," BD Athani,
medical superintendent at
Safdarjung Hospital, told reporters.
The nation has been rocked by a
wave of protests since the attack,
including one in Delhi on Thursday
which brought several hundred
people onto the streets. Riot police
prevented them from marching on
government buildings.
The protests have reflected not only
the revulsion at the savage nature of
the attack but also simmering anger
over the level of violence against
women.
Official figures show that 228,650 of
the total 256,329 violent crimes
recorded last year were against
women, with the number of rapes in
the capital rising 17 per cent to 661
this year.
Gang-rapes are reported on a daily
basis, with police revealing on
Thursday that a 42-year-old woman
had been found overnight dumped
on a road in southeast Delhi after
being gagged, sedated and raped by
three men.
Manmohan Singh told a gathering of
chief ministers from across India on
Thursday that there was a "problem"
which "requires greater attention".
Six men are in custody in connection
with the assault on the student.
Singh, whose government has been
stung by criticism about the
notoriously slow Indian justice
system, said their case would be
dealt with "expeditiously".
The government has already set up
an inquiry commission into the attack
while a separate panel has been
asked to suggest stiffer punishments.
"Laws regarding the safety of women
will be reviewed," Singh pledged.