In a seemingly controversial decision, the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College has banned MBBS students from wearing jeans, tshirts and leggings inside the campus. The college has made it mandatory for the students to wear white overcoats and carry ID cards inside campus.
The college authorities say that the dress code was only to `protect’ students from ogling while they tour the wards and keep off “infection” from patients. All the female students have been instructed to wear only a saree or churidar and have been actively discouraged from any other hairstyle apart from a bun. All flashy ornaments have also been banned and the male students have been asked to “strictly” adhere to a “formal dress code.”
“The dress code is not a new one but over the years students have not been following it. Now we have decided to make it compulsory following recent incidents in the hospital,” said Dr Thomas Mathew, principal, medical college.
Students here are gearing up for a massive protest against the circular. “We are ready to wear overcoat and use ID cards. But we strongly protest against the decision banning jeans and leggings,” said Jibin James, chairman of Medical College Union.
Even though a UGC advisory has made it clear that, “Concern for the safety of women students must not be cited to impose discriminatory rules for women … Campus safety policies should not result in securitisation, such as over monitoring or policing or curtailing the freedom of movement, especially for women employees and students.”
The college authorities have also stated that students need protection from infection when they are with patients and that a fully covered dress will help them in this.”There is nothing wrong in a dress code for MBBS students.A dress code was in place when we did MBBS-white shirt and black pants for boys and saree for girls. Even MCI stipulates a dress code for students. The idea is patients should have respect and confidence in doctors,” said Dr A V Jayakrishnan, state president of IMA.
