Despite Losing Legs, Mumbai’s Dr Roshan Jahan Defies Odds And Completes Her MD

Dr Roshan Jahan Jawwad Shaikh, a resident of Jogeshwari Mumbai who lost both her legs in a train accident thirteen years ago, has defied all odds to complete her MD in pathology, fulfilling her childhood dream to become a doctor.

Roshan, 29, told TOI that the adversity only strengthened her to achieve her dream despite the bureaucracy’s difficult rules. “I am very happy to have passed MD, it has been difficult, but I had promised myself that I won’t give up,” she said.

Roshan had always been a meritorious student and had scored 92.2 per cent in Class 10th in 2008. But her struggle began back in 2008 when she was returning home from school with her classmates from Andheri to Jogeshwari on a local train. She accidentally slipped and fell onto the track and the moving train went over her legs leaving her ankle, thigh and lower limbs amputated. She studied at the Anjuman-i-Islam Girl’s College in Bandra.

She qualified for the entrance examination to get admission in MBBS, but the law restricted people with only up to 70% handicap can be allowed to study medicine. Roshan was found to be 86% handicap.

She then pursued this in court to allow her to get admission. She appeared before the court despite the physical and financial difficulties. And her efforts didn’t go in vain. The then Chief justice of Bombay High court allowed her to take admission

Roshan went on to pass MBBS in 2016 with a first class from the Seth GS Medical College (KEM Hospital) and then cracked the entrance exams and got into MD in the same college. She topped the PG medical entrance examination.

In 2019, the second year of her PG, tragedy struck again and she was diagnosed with a bone tumour which is being treated.

She now hopes to apply in a government hospital. She stated, “My plan is to start a laboratory and diagnostic Centre in a rural area where people at present travel long distances for medical tests. If I get financial help, I will start it or will wait till I am financially equipped to start a laboratory. My Centre will have concessional testing and free testing for the poor.”

In her arduous journey overcoming these obstacles and achieve her dream, she gives credit to her orthopaedic doctor Sanjay Kantharia who catered his medical services selflessly, Senior lawyer VP Patil who attended her case pro bono and MLA Ameen Patel for sponsoring her medical education.

Roshan lives in a chawl in Jogeshwari along with her parents and three siblings. The family is financially dependent on her father who is a vegetable vendor and her brother who works as a salesman.