15 April,2021 05:58 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish Vaktania
The police and volunteers who helped rescue Apeksha Kawle
A police sub-inspector and her team came to the aid of a woman in labour and helped deliver the baby on Tuesday. The trio from Worli police station sought the help of a local doctor who delivered the baby in the police van.
Kawle being taken to the hospital
The woman was later identified as Apeksha Kawle, 27, a resident of Jijamata Nagar at Worli. The baby, a girl who is premature, was admitted along with Apeksha to the Nair hospital. Doctors said they are both out of danger.
PSI Reshma Patil who was accompanied by Constable Poonam Sakpal and ASI Sampat Mane, said, "We received a call at 5 pm on Tuesday from a local saying a woman had difficulty breathing and was lying on the footpath at Worli sea face. We rushed to the spot and found that she was actually in labour. We later found she was seven months pregnant. We put her into our police van to take her to Nair Hospital but her pains increased. So we contacted a local doctor who told us to meet her at Naigaon. At Naigaon, around 5.17 pm, she delivered the baby in our police van.
Reshma Patil, police sub-inspector
"Later we admitted the woman and baby girl to Nair Hospital. The baby was born under weight at 1 kg. Doctors said they are out of danger," PSI Patil added. Two volunteers for the police also helped them with Apeksha.
Swati Kawle, a relative of Apeksha said, "On Tuesday Apeksha's labour pains started and her husband Santosh took her to Nair hospital for delivery. But Nair hospital refused to admit them, claiming that due to COVID-19 patients they couldn't admit her. Santosh was scared and took her to Worli sea face. He told her to wait there while he brought her mother there. When he returned, the police who had arrived, told him what had happened." Swati said Santosh then asked her mother to stay back while he accompanied Apeksha in the police van. She also said Nair hospital admitted Apeksha and her baby after police intervention.
The AMO at Nair hospital said she was unaware of the incident and asked this reporter to call her the next day.
