In this week's entry of Doctor Diaries, Dr. Venkatraman Radhakrishnan, a noted Medical Oncologist shares a story about one of his patients, highlighting the need for women's safety in India.

'No women, no cry'- Bob Marley sang this song a few decades back but it is still relevant in our society.

One of my patients is a middle-aged single mother bringing up her daughter. She is illiterate but intelligent. She wants the best for her daughter. She comes from a village in interior Andhra Pradesh and is currently undergoing treatment for Cancer.

One day she got admitted with high fever. She complained of foul-smelling vaginal discharge. I asked the gynecologist to examine her. The gynecologist was horrified at what she saw. The patient's genitalia was badly bruised and infected. She suspected sexual abuse.

I asked the patient what happened. She said about two weeks back when coming to the hospital by train, she was raped by an unknown man. This happened in a crowded train. I asked her why she didn't shout and she said that the man threatened to kill her daughter.

She didn't know who the man was. I asked her why she didn't complain to the police. Her reply was that it wouldn't have made a difference. The police would have harassed her and called her names. She had to complete her treatment and she didn't have the courage to fight the system.

She bluntly refused our help in filing a complaint and said she wouldn't take treatment if we contacted the police. She didn't want to be shamed by her relatives.

I am waiting for the day when ‘no women, no cry’ in my country.

This story was originally published on Dr. Venkatraman Radhakrishnan's blog 'Medical Musings' on Quora and has been republished here without any edits.