PMPML staff reroute bus, rush woman in distress to hospital

Driver, conductor found pregnant woman in pain on road with toddler, unable to reach her husband, a waste picker. Stable now, she says they saved her life

Life under lockdown has also kept most of the city’s public transport off the road, leaving people stranded during any exigency. This was the experience of a seven-month pregnant Karvenagar resident when she was in the throes of unprecedented pain and urgently needed to get to a hospital on Sunday. As she sat on the pavement, overcome by her physical trauma and unable to find any form of transport, she was spotted by the driver and conductor of a Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus. Luckily, the duo came to her rescue, even veering out of their scheduled route to reach her to a hospital as soon as possible.

Neelam Babar was hit by abdominal pain on Sunday morning, at a time when she was home alone with her three-year-old son; her husband, a waste picker, was away at work. “When it got unbearable, I decided to step out with my son, in the hope of finding some sort of transport to get me to the hospital.” But as she reached the main road, she found no vehicle in sight.


No autorickshaw or bus was plying as PMPML had also shrunk its fleet on the road to the minimum. “By this time, I was doubled over with pain and could not walk. I just sat on the footpath with my son beside me and was wailing in pain, oblivious to all else,” Babar recalled.

Just then, the PMPML bus plying on the route between Nanded and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC),with Akshaykumar Bhosale at the wheels and Vishal Masule on board as the conductor, was approaching, and they spotted Babar in distress. “During the lockdown we are only ferrying people who work in essential services. However, we saw the woman and realised something was very wrong. I asked Bhosale to halt near her, so that we could investigate,” Masule told Mirror.

Babar informed that she needed to reach a hospital, but requested that she be dropped near the Kothrud bus stand, where she could be picked up by her husband. So, they took her in and headed to the bus stand. As they set off, Masule called Babar’s husband and asked him to meet them at the destination. “However, when we got there, her husband was not in sight. When we called him, he explained that he was also unable to find any mode of transport and was walking to the bus stand. Looking at the state of the woman, we realised we could not afford to lose any more time getting her medical help,” Masule recounted.

This understanding prompted a decision between the duo to take her to the nearest hospital themselves. When they asked around, locals directed them to Sutar Hospital run by PMC. “The hospital was not on our regular route, but given the situation, we chose to take a diversion and ensure she got the medical attention she needed. Once we reached the hospital, I ran in and fetched the stretcher even before the nursing staff came out,” Masule added.

Once he was assured that Babar was getting the medical attention she required, Masule told Bhosale they could leave. Babar, who was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday after her condition stabilised, is profusely thankful to Masule and Bhosale for extricating her from a helpless situation. On Sunday, the baby had turned in the womb. “I almost thought I would not be able to reach a hospital in time. But they showed up and exemplified humane qualities, ensuring I reached expert medical hands. I survived thanks to them,” she gushed.