13 hours ago
Every agency stepped in to support affected students: BJ Medical College dean Dr Minakshi Parekh
Dr Minakshi Parekh, dean of the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad that lost at least four students in the Air India flight 171 crash, shares details of the ground situation, ongoing relief efforts, and the emotional toll on students and families in an interview to Prawesh Lama. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner hit the medical college's hostel buildings and dining halls on June 12, leaving four hostel buildings' facade charred, and the two mess buildings partially collapsed. Edited excerpts:
What is the current situation at the college?
Every agency has stepped in to support the affected students. Rooms have been arranged for all students, while food is now being provided at the postgraduate mess since the undergraduate mess was destroyed. Resident doctors have been moved to vacant flats and temporary accommodations, including those provided by the Lions Club.
NGOs and private hospitals, too, have come forward offering free treatment to injured students. Every student and resident doctor has been accommodated, and our medical students are actively helping families—providing counselling and assisting with blood sample collection.
There were reports of a scarcity of rooms at the hospital. How is that being handled?
There is no scarcity of rooms. In fact, government officials and foreign embassy representatives visiting the crash site are also staying in our Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) officers are also working from the hospital complex since it is located close to the crash site.
One of our rooms has been converted into a main office for AAIB, equipped with everything they need. A second office has also been set up at the hostel. We've repurposed spaces originally meant for other functions to ensure the investigators can work efficiently.
How are you dealing with student deaths, injuries, and grieving families?
More than us, it is the most challenging time for the families. However, one case that has stayed with me is from the first day — when a man insisted on seeing the bodies of his three family members in the post-mortem room. He was inconsolable. Despite our best efforts to comfort him, protocol didn't allow us to let him in. It took time, but around 12.30 am, he finally agreed to wait outside.
Have grief counsellors been engaged at the hospital?
We've taken great care to ensure that communication with families is handled sensitively. How do you tell a man that his son's death has been confirmed or how do you tell him to give his blood sample to confirm the death? Some have anxiety, others are disturbed, and some are breaking down. There are chances of people developing post-traumatic stress.
Hence, we've deployed trained counsellors at three key points — the blood sample collection centre, the control room in the superintendent's office (where families are informed once DNA results are confirmed), and the post-mortem room where bodies are handed over. Our MD psychiatrists are conducting live sessions with families even now (she points towards a live CCTV feed showing ongoing counselling sessions at the hospital).
Can you explain the DNA collection and reporting process?
We're collecting DNA samples from all relatives on-site. Testing is being done by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), which is part of the National Forensic Science University. The FSL team is working around the clock. Once analysis is complete, reports are sent to the superintendent's office at Civil Hospital. Families are then contacted with the results.
Three families from abroad are expected to arrive tomorrow to receive the results. The government is handling the public release of numbers and official data.
