Here’s how a Mumbai-based team rescued a mentally ill pregnant woman

A Mumbaibased team from Shraddha Rehabilitation Centre led by Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Dr Bharat Vatwani rescued a mentally ill pregnant woman named Geeta at Kochuveli railway station in Kerala They had been on an official visit to meet the State KeralaPrincipal Secretary of Health and took swift action to get her medically examined before admitting her to a Governmentrun shelter home before returning to Mumbai onWednesdayWe both initially hesitated to help her We empathised with her situation but didnt know what to do about it I gathered some courage and asked her lsquoDidi kaha jaana hairsquo said Dr Swarali Kondwilkar associate psychiatristldquoHer eyes lit up when she heard us speaking in Hindi She identified herself as Geeta from Rajpur Choranga Raigarh district Chhattisgarh while we found her wandering on platform no 6 of Kochuveli Railway station Her speech was incoherent and inconsistent and she appeared to be pregnant at least six months alongrdquo said Dr KondwilkarldquoWhile I engaged in conversation with Geeta DenitMathew one of the trustees of our foundation communicated with his local contact Soumya Rajendran Sudharma a nurse at a Taluka Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram discussing the situation Following Soumyas guidance Denit sir reached out to the railway protection force at Kochuveli railway station A constable Kavitha arrived promptly expressing concern that Geeta might go into labour during the night Following Soumyas advice we decided to transport Geeta to Sree Avittam ThirunalHospital and Government Medical College SAT ThiruvananthapuramRamon Magsaysay Award winner Dr Bharat Vatwani founder of Shraddha Rehabilitation CentreSoumya who aids the mentally ill and destitute homeless spoke of her involvementearlierwith Asha Bhawan a shelter home in Thiruvananthapuram where she cares for 40 North Indian women with psychiatric ailments Having known Denit sir for years I knew of his organisations efforts in rehabilitating and repatriating patients On March 6 when he contacted me for help I did everything I could to help him and his team by making arrangements at SAT Hospital108 AmbulanceldquoThe RPF officials from Kochuveli Railway Station arranged for an ambulance and the staff went out of the way to help us through the admission process and furtherrdquo said Dr KondwilkarldquoThe staff at the GovernmentSATHospital prioritised our case They provided comprehensive medical care including a USG to assess the foetal status and assisted in organising a private ambulance for Geetas transfer to the Government Mahila Mandir shelter home Initially the shelter home staff hesitated to admit her without a police letter but a persuasive telephonic call with the Superintendent made a significant difference Touched and convinced she accepted the admissionrdquo Dr Kondwilkar addedldquoTheSAThospital staff organised an ambulance to transfer Geeta to the nearby governmentrun Mahila Mandiram shelter home Despite the initial reluctance of the shelter home staff due to the absence of a police letter a conversation with Superintendent Jibi Sabu convinced them to admit Geetardquo said DrKondwilkarDeepa Saijukumar the caretaker said Our facility serves as a refuge for distressed and destitute women Currently we house 36 women including 10 from outside Keralamdashoriginating from places like Uttar Pradesh and Bhopal Managing Geeta has posed a challenge she struggles to sleep at night and persistently requests her releaseGeeta has shared her distressing story of being abandoned by her husband several years ago leaving her with children and elderly parents She expresses a desire not to proceed with her pregnancy Geeta describes being confined in a jungle residence without access to food and water yet she cannot recall the specific location or how she ended up in Kerala or at the Kochuveli railway station We plan to take her toSAThospital soon for a thorough examination Deepa addedTrain back to MumbaildquoFrom the beginning I was very sceptical and hopeless that I could do anything for her Geeta in a foreign land where I donrsquot know anyone I thought the best I could do was bring her a meal for the night maybe tell her when is the next train to Chattisgarh get her a ticket and ask someone to make her sit on that train But Denit sir took the lead and I followed and everything started falling into place with constant obstacles midway ultimately reaching the goal of keeping her at a safe shelterrdquo saidDr KondwilkarAnd the parting wordsldquoIn this particular case I believe that true empathy has been shown not just by the Shraddha Team but by all involved in the rescue and shelter operation This has resulted in the sum of the Rescue Gestalt far superseding to the nth level its individual parts This is an example of true empathetic humanity in our society and Kerala sets an example of humanity to the rest of Indiardquo Dr Vatwani said