International Women’s Day 8th March 2013, Celebrated with Much Gusto in Mumbai’s Municipal Hospitals

Mumbai, March 8, 2013: The International Women’s Day observed on 8th March 2013 worldwide was celebrated with much enthusiasm in 5 of Mumbai’s peripheral Municipal Corporation hospitals, including Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, M.T. Agarwal Hospital in Mulund, Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle, K.B.Bhabha Hospital, Bandra and K.B. Bhabha Hospital, Kurla. More than a decade ago, CEHAT and the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai collaborated on an initiative to make the health sector and health care professionals responsive to women facing violence. The outcome of this endeavor was the establishment of Dilaasa - a crisis intervention center for women (within 2 of the above hospitals in Mumbai – K. B. Bhabha Hospital in Bandra and Kurla) and rigorous training of health care professionals across all the 5 hospitals to sensitize them towards the same. The ‘Training Cell’ of doctors, nurses, and social workers across these three hospitals have been extremely enthusiastic in addressing the issues of domestic and sexual violence through their own practice, and that of their hospitals. This year, 8th March, International Women’s Day celebrations were entirely planned and executed by these committed individuals.

The day was marked not merely with celebration but it was welcomed with increased awareness and sensitivity by the women employees of the hospitals, recognizing and appreciating being a woman and reaching out to the patients during the OPD hours through street plays/ skits and poster competition. Street plays were organized in 3 hospitals, scripted and performed by the staff themselves. In Rajawadi Hospi