Cama & Albless Hospital To Open One-Stop Crisis Centre For Women

Mumbai: Cama and Albless Hospital will set up a one-stop-crisis (OSC) centre in the next six months to address gender-based violence and provide a safe and comfortable environment for women.

At present, Maharashtra has 37 OSC centres. They provide a single point of contact for medical, legal, social and psychological aid to women facing sexual and domestic abuse in each district across the state.

It will be the third such centre, established under the central government’s Nirbhaya Fund, in the city. The civic-run King Edward Memorial Hospital and Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari have one each.

OSC centres exclusive for women, children

OSC centres in crowded hospitals are often avoided by women survivors fearing stigma. A senior official said that since Cama and Albless is exclusively for women and children, setting up a centre in the hospital premises will help women feel more secure..

The decision to set up the centre comes after the Women and Child Development Department held several internal meetings at which district-wise data were analysed. The analyses showed that OSCs in rural areas perform better than those in cities. Moreover, the data showed that victims of gender violence prefer to approach OSCs located at women’s shelters or hospitals.

Dr Tushar Palve, medical superintendent at Cama and Albless, said the main aim of starting the OSC centre is to ensurethat women feel safe while discussing their problems.

Center to start in next 6 months

“The centre will be set up on the ground floor of the hospital and construction work has begun. However, the centre is expected to start in the next six months and it will have five beds, which will be run in association with an NGO that will appoint qualified counsellors and lawyers to assist the survivors in distress,” he said.

The project is under Mumbai City Collector Rajiv Nivatkar, who has played a pivotal role in taking the initiative.

At present, Maharashtra has 37 OSC centres. They provide a single point of contact for medical, legal, social and psychological aid to women facing sexual and domestic abuse in each district across the state.