Mumbai: In a first since its inception 12 years ago, the geriatric department at Mumbai’s JJ Hospital has successfully helped a patient transition from living within the hospital premises to a shelter home. The patient, Vijaya Rajput (52), is not elderly but had been residing on the hospital campus for nearly two months after undergoing a heart valve replacement.
A native of Shirpur in Dhule district, nearly 400 km from Mumbai, Rajput chose to stay at JJ Hospital after doctors advised her to return monthly for follow-up checkups. “Travelling back and forth from my village is expensive, and living like this was wearing me down,” she said. “A few days ago, I broke down near the geriatric ward, and an elderly man told me to speak to the social workers there.”
Rajput, who is also scheduled for an endoscopy due to persistent stomach pain, is now preparing to move to a homeless shelter in Ghansoli to reduce travel costs and continue her treatment. “A confirmation is expected in the next few days,” said Raju Waghmare, a medical social worker with the geriatric department.
Before her surgery, Rajput worked as a music teacher, earning a modest income by teaching children to sing. She now hopes to find work in or around Mumbai so she can continue her treatment and send money home for her mother’s kidney treatment.
JJ Hospital’s geriatric unit is one of 19 Regional Geriatric Centres across India supported by the central government. Headed by Dr Rohan Sequeira, the department currently operates with five beds — though 30 have been sanctioned — and expects expansion once the hospital’s new super-specialty building opens.
The outpatient clinic sees around 30 patients daily, many of whom travel long distances alone. “Loneliness is a big challenge,” said Waghmare. “Some patients stay here for weeks or months, even after discharge, because they have nowhere else to go. We suggest shelter homes, but by then they’ve grown so attached to the hospital that they’re afraid to leave.”
Vijaya, however, is determined. She visits the social workers daily, eager to start a new chapter. “I’m ready to move on,” she said, hopeful that the Ghansoli shelter will help her rebuild her life while staying close to medical care.
