CM salutes visually-impaired hospital staff, terms him an inspiration

It was a busy Monday morning for Raju Chavan, the visually-impaired telephone-operator at the city’s St George’s Hospital when his supervisor came up to tell Chavan

It was a busy Monday morning for Raju Chavan, the visually-impaired telephone-operator at the city’s St George’s Hospital when his supervisor came up to tell Chavan he had an important call coming up at 12.30pm. Chief minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray wanted to talk to him.

Raju Chavan works as a telephone operator, St George’s Hospital

Forty-four-year-old Chavan is a resident of Jogeshwari and has been working at St George’s Hospital since 2009. While the state has exempted the physically-impaired from reporting to work, Chavan takes two buses to come into work at the hospital in Fort. “I co-ordinate to arrange for ambulances, connect calls to the right department. So many relatives call these days. They are scared, confused, not knowing what to do. I try to help them,” said Chavan, who works from 10am to 6pm. The night shift is manned by Mira Road resident Sandeep Shinde, who is physically-challenged. Neither Shinde nor Chavan have taken leave over the past two months.

When Thackeray spoke to Chavan on Monday, he appreciated Chavan’s work and told Chavan he is an inspiration to others, especially since Chavan is visually impaired. “It was like getting a certificate for my work. That too from the most important man in the state,” said Chavan. He said he hadn’t considered taking leave during the lockdown. “This is the time we have to work for society, which has given us so much. Every time I leave my house, someone helps me cross the road, someone helps me reach the bus stop. This is the time to show that we are also an equal part of the society,” said Chavan, adding that he has received a lot of support from all the doctors and nurses in the hospital.