Saraswati Singh, a 30-year-old woman from Mumbai was on her way to JJ Hospital when she went into labour. Fortunately, there was a doctor in the nearest ladies compartment of the same train and she was willing to help.
Saraswati Singh, a 30-year-old woman from Mumbai, was on her way to JJ Hospital when she went into labour. Saraswati had been suffering from mild stomach pain since morning and decided to go to the hospital for a check-up. She boarded a local train from Diva junction with her husband who works as a construction worker in the city.
By the time the train reached Mulund, she started experiencing contractions. She was crying in pain while her husband was requesting the others to help. At around 10:00 am, the passengers pulled the emergency chain and the train came to a halt at Bhandup.
A few women got off and went to the other compartments seeking help. Fortunately, there was a doctor in the nearest ladies compartment and she was willing to help.
Picture for representation only. Source: Rajarshi MITRA/Flickr
“At first, nobody wanted to help. They were just silent bystanders, watching things unfold. The woman was just yelping in pain but fellow passengers, including a few women, remained silent. Finally when a few passengers urged someone to go ask for help, two of them stepped off the train and found the doctor,” a witness told Mumbai Mirror.
Dr. Karuna Ahire rushed to the luggage compartment of the train with Saraswati, where she helped in the safe delivery of the baby without any medical equipment. She then ensured that the mother and the new born were transferred to Savitribai Hospital for medical attention. An RPF constable had also reached the spot by then. According to Narendra Patil, Chief Public Relation Officer of Central Railway, they sent a female home guard and a male constable to the spot as soon as they heard about the incident.
Dr. Karuna runs a clinic in Ambernath and works at a Vikhroli medical firm. “I was just doing my job and saving a human being, helping her give birth to another,” she said.
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