LUCKNOW: The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Upendra Dwivedi on Monday commended Major Rohit Bachwala for going beyond the call of duty, to help a Lucknow woman in successful delivery of baby girl at footover bridge at Jhansi railway station.
On July 5, Major Bachwala, a medical officer at Jhansi Military hospital, used his pocket knife, hair clip and a dhoti to conduct an immediate delivery as the pregnant woman had slumped from a wheelchair due to excruciating labour pain at the footover bridge.
"After the delivery, the newborn was unresponsive at birth; however, Major Bachwala successfully resuscitated the infant. The mother, later, developed complications related to the placental delivery, which he managed effectively using available protective measures and clinical judgment," stated Additional Directorate General of Public Information in a tweet.
The army doctor helped the woman deliver the baby at the Virangana Laxmibai Jhansi railway station on Saturday afternoon.
Major Bachwala, 31, was travelling to Hyderabad via Bengaluru on a month-long leave to reunite with his family.
While waiting for his train at the railway station, he saw a pregnant woman in severe labour pain on the footover bridge. Acting quickly, Maj Bachwala used his pocket knife and improvised hair clips and a dhoti to help her deliver the baby. Railway women staff stepped in to secure the area, ensuring privacy and safety during the process. The staff also provided him with gloves.
"The mother and the newborn were stable post-delivery. An ambulance was arranged to transport them to a nearby hospital for further care,” Major Bachwala later told the media persons.
As per the sources, a woman TTE was taking the pregnant woman for medical assistance in a wheelchair. As she was brought out of lift on a footover bridge, the pregnant lady screamed in pain when the army doctor rushed towards her and with whatever resources he had helped her deliver the baby.
The woman was travelling from Panvel to Barabanki with her husband and child in Panvel-Gorakhpur Express 15066. However, the woman’s husband sought medical assistance from Railway authorities through an SOS following which the family was deboarded at the Jhansi station.
Major Rohit Bachwala, who hails from Hyderabad, is the son of a former Indian Air Force personnel.
In a statement, the Jhansi division of North Central Railway said: “Railways was informed about the pregnant woman passenger, who had sought medical assistance through the Rail Madad app. Promptly, the Jhansi control room was activated and a team was rushed for medical assistance. As soon as the train reached Veerangana Laxmibai Jhansi station, the female passenger was attended to by a railway medical team and railway ticket checking staff.”
Following the successful delivery, the women TTE staff expressed their gratitude to Major Rohit Bachwala, saying he came as an angel in the hour of need.”