Mumbai Woman Who Lost Her Legs In Train Accident Fought Many Hurdles To Become Doctor

Roshan Jawwad is a resident of Jogeshwari, Mumbai and she recently completed her Doctor Of Medicine degree in Pathology. Thirteen years ago, Jawwad lost both her legs in a railway accident. The accident had left her wary of the future and her dream of becoming a doctor.

However, she didn’t lose hope and fought for her place in college, a legal battle, and a fight against a bone tumor. She has thus proved to millions around the world that her disability, didn’t make her any less eligible to become the person she always wanted to.

Roshan, 29, told Times Of India that the adversity only strengthened her to work for the degree despite the bureaucracy’s difficult rules. "I am very happy to have passed MD, it has been difficult, but I had promised myself that I won’t give up," she said.

Roshan, who scored 92.2 per cent in Class 10 was returning home with her friends in 2008, via train, from Andheri to Jogeshwari. She then fell onto the track and the moving train went over her legs. She was returning home after writing her college exam. She studied at the Anjuman-i-Islam Girl’s College in Bandra, as per reports.

Her journey as a vegetable vendor’s daughter has not been easy. She is among four siblings and lives with her family in a rented chawl. According to reports, her father, Jawwad Sheikh no longer works and the family’s responsibilities has fallen to the shoulders of her brother, Abu Talib, a salesman. She said that Dr. Sanjay Kantharia, the surgeon who operated on her treated her like his own daughter. Senior lawyer V P Patil had taken up her case for free and that her medical education was reportedly financed by MLA Ameen Patel

There was a rule that people with only up to 70% handicap can be allowed to study medicine. Jawwad’s was found to be 86% handicap. She then reportedly had to make several visits to court to fight her case for admission, and Justice Mohit Shah finally approved her plea. She passed MBBS in 2016 with first class from the Seth GS Medical College (KEM Hospital). She then cracked the entrance exams and got into MD in the same college.

Roshan said, “Before admission in MD, I faced the same problem of 86% disability. The forms were to be applied online and I had only two days. Kirit Somaiya, then an MP, met the Union Health Minister with my documents and I learnt that the upper limit for disabled for admission  was changed. I applied and got admission.”

Roshan was diagnosed with bone tumour in her second year of MD. She said that she was greatly helped by the head of her department and her friends and batchmates. In the results announced on Wednesday, she secured 4^th rank in her department. She now hopes to apply in a government hospital. She stated, “My plan is to start a laboratory and diagnostic Centre in a rural area where people at present travel long distances for medical tests. If I get financial help, I will start it or will wait till I am financially equipped to start a laboratory. My Centre will have concessional testing and free testing for the poor.”

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