A total of 87 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras cover every inch of the Cama and Albless Hospital near Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Security personnel armed with guns and wireless communication devices stand guard at each gate and patrol the entire premises round the clock. But perhaps the most obvious and significant change in the hospital is that the boundary walls are much higher than they were eight years ago.
On the night of November 26, 2008, eight years to the day, two men armed with AK 47 assault rifles barged into the hospital grounds, gunning down two security guards at the back gates, and stalked the floors of the hospital, wreaking havoc. Several doctors, as well as policemen who reached the hospital on the trail of the terrorists, were injured before the duo, later identified as Ajmal Qasab and Abu Ismail, walked away, leaving the hospital and its staff scarred for life.
Recalling the dual trauma of dealing with the patients of the terror attack and facing the terrorists themselves, Sunanda Chavan, who was the head nurse on the night of the attacks, said, “I was working in the emergency ward that night. The ward itself is a critical area and when the terrorists struck, we somehow managed to shift all the patients into bathrooms, except the ones who were very critical and could not move. Some of our nurses stayed with them in the ward.”
The fifth floor ward was occupied by children and staff members rushed to the ward to ensure their safety. Meanwhile, some doctors and ward boys ran to the terrace and hid under the solar plates to save themselves. All the doors and windows were shut as fast as they could be.
Even as the threat of death hung over the head of every person in the hospital, several women gave birth and the mothers and newborns were moved to secure places in the hospital. “To avoid being detected by the terrorists, we switched off the lights and our cell phones so that we could stay hidden in the dark,” Nursing Superintendent Chhaya Pramodlal recalled.
The presence of mind displayed by the hospital staff members ensured that not a single patient was harmed during the attacks.
The days following the attacks were traumatic for all the staff members and they underwent several counselling sessions to deal with the emotional scars. Coming back to work the very next morning was especially difficult, and the sound of bullets haunted many of them for several nights after that.
Eight years down the line, a memorial dedicated to the two security guards who lost their lives in the attacks serves as a grim reminder of the night. The extensive security measures undertaken at the hospital, too, are daily reminders.
“Apart from increasing the height of the boundary walls and installing CCTV cameras, we also ensure that any suspicious person is immediately sent to the administrative staff for a security check”, said Superintendent Rajashree Katke.
Three years ago, the hospital staff also underwent a workshop for disaster management. "Whenever any terrorist activity occurs in any part of the country, we call a meeting to make our staff members aware about the same, as well as to train them in steps to be taken in case a similar incident occurs in the hospital,” Ms. Pramodlal said.
The writer is an intern with The Hindu
