From Ratnagiri down the Konkan line: lawful termination of pregnancy at Vasco-da-Gama, Goa
Lawful, licensed, confidential. Termination of pregnancy at Pai Hospital is carried out lawfully under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 (as amended), at a licensed facility, by registered medical practitioners, within the limits and the certification that the Act requires. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind, at any stage, for any reason. Your identity and your treatment are confidential.
Yes. An adult woman from Ratnagiri district can have a lawful termination of pregnancy at Pai Hospital, Vaddem, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa, within the limits the MTP Act sets, with only her own written consent. One Konkan Railway train takes you from Ratnagiri to Madgaon, about three hours or a little more on faster trains, then Vasco is a short drive.
This page is for women in Ratnagiri town and in the district's other talukas: Rajapur, Lanja, Sangameshwar, Chiplun, Guhagar, Khed, Dapoli and Mandangad. It covers what is different when you start from here: how long the train takes from your taluka, which Goa station to get off at, whether a same-day return is realistic, what the rains do to the timetable, and what to carry. If you are scared or unsure, nothing has to be decided today: a message to the doctor is enough to begin, and you choose what happens next. What the treatment involves medically is set out once, on the abortion services overview. Nothing on this page is legal advice.
Why Goa can be the easier trip from Ratnagiri
From most of Ratnagiri district, the large cities are a long road away. Kolhapur is about 130 km, but the road climbs the Amba ghat. Mumbai is about 325 to 340 km by road, seven hours or more. Goa is a different kind of trip: you board one train on the coast, stay in your seat with no change and no ghat, and get off in Goa. For some women, that single train ride, and being a few hours away from anyone who knows them, is what makes Goa the easier choice.
The law does not change at the state border. The MTP Act applies across India, in Maharashtra exactly as in Goa, so coming here changes where you are seen, not your rights. India's rules on who must consent are explained on whose consent is needed for an abortion.
How long the train takes from your taluka
- Ratnagiri town. About 240 km by rail to Madgaon. The faster trains take about three to three and a half hours; slow trains take much longer, often six hours or more.
- Sangameshwar. Sangameshwar Road lies between Chiplun and Ratnagiri on the line, but far fewer trains stop there and even the quickest take over five hours to Madgaon, so many people find it quicker to board at Ratnagiri.
- Chiplun. About 315 km by rail. Around five and a quarter hours on the quickest trains, and up to about nine hours on slow trains.
- Khed, Dapoli, Guhagar and Mandangad. Khed is further up the line than Chiplun, but some fast trains stop there, so its quickest trip, a little under five hours, can beat Chiplun's. Dapoli and Mandangad usually board at Khed, Guhagar at Chiplun; count the road trip to your station on top of the train time.
- Rajapur and Lanja. Fewer trains to Madgaon stop at Rajapur Road than at Ratnagiri. Many people from Rajapur or Lanja find it easier to board at Ratnagiri.
Many trains a week run from Ratnagiri into Goa, but they change from season to season. Check current trains before you book; do not rely on an old timetable or a printed list.
Get off at Madgaon, not Thivim
Coming south, the train reaches North Goa first. Thivim is in North Goa and far from Vasco, so stay on. Madgaon is the main Goa stop on the line, almost every train from Ratnagiri stops there, and Vasco is about 25 to 30 km away by road, roughly 45 minutes to an hour. Karmali also works if your train stops there, and some trains end there: it is about 24 km to Vasco, between half an hour and an hour by road.
The hospital has its own cars, and they go anywhere in Goa. Tell us which station and roughly when your train reaches it, and a car can meet you there and bring you to Vaddem.
From Ratnagiri the train is usually simpler than flying. For anyone who does come by air, note that Goa has two airports: Dabolim (GOI) is about 4 km from Vasco, while Mopa (GOX) is in North Goa, far from us.
In the rains, the trains slow down
Every year the Konkan Railway switches to a monsoon timetable for the rainy months, roughly mid-June to late October. Trains run at lower speeds and the same trip takes longer. If you are travelling in the rains, check current trains, leave extra time, and message us if your train is running late so that the day can be planned around it.
By road on the Mumbai-Goa highway
NH66, the Mumbai-Goa highway, runs south through Lanja and Rajapur into Sindhudurg and then Goa. Ratnagiri town to Vasco is roughly 260 to 275 km by road, less from Rajapur or Lanja: around five hours or more by car, longer by bus. Four-laning is still going on, with road works on stretches near Lanja, Sangameshwar and elsewhere, so check road conditions before you leave. The car service also reaches into Karnataka and Maharashtra for road journeys. Tell us where you are starting from and we will say plainly what we can do.
Same day, or stay a night?
Whatever the method, the scan comes first. It is done in person when you arrive and is never skipped. The surgical method is usually a single day-care visit. The medicine route usually means a couple of visits a few days apart.
From Ratnagiri town, a fast train each way plus the hospital visit makes a very long day, and it only works if the timetable that day fits. From Chiplun, Khed or Dapoli, plan on staying a night. For the medicine route, you would either make the train journey twice or stay in Goa for a few days; many women find staying simpler. The consultant tells you when it is realistic to travel home.
Before you travel, send us on WhatsApp the first day of your last period, any pregnancy test or scan, your blood group and any other reports. The doctor can then tell you whether you can be helped here and how long to plan for. No treatment or medicines are given over the phone. Doctors' consultations in Vasco run Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm, and reception is open 24 hours, all 7 days.
Where to stay, and who comes with you
The simplest base is Vasco-da-Gama town, close to the hospital at Vaddem. The hospital car can collect you for each visit and take you back. A surgical termination is done under anaesthesia, so our policy is that you come with a responsible adult above 18 years of age (a friend, a relative or anyone unrelated) who can take you back to where you are staying. For other methods you may come on your own.
Papers, consent and language
- One government-issued photo identity card: Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licence or passport. Aadhaar is one choice, not a must.
- Any scan and blood reports you already have.
- A list of the medicines you take.
An adult woman (18 or over) signs her own consent. No husband's, partner's or parents' permission is needed, and an unmarried woman is treated exactly as a married one. You can speak to the doctor in Hindi or English.
At the hospital
The scan is done in the hospital's own ultrasound department. It confirms the dates and rules out an ectopic pregnancy, which is an emergency and not a termination. The theatre holds a government MTP licence, surgical procedures are done under real-time ultrasound guidance with single-use instruments, and the hospital infrastructure page describes the building. Earlier is simpler, and the stages the MTP Act sets out are on their own page. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind.
Once you have been examined you get an itemised figure that does not move. If medicines do not finish the abortion and a short procedure follows, that procedure is billed on top. See cost of abortion in India.
Section 5A of the MTP Act bars the doctor from revealing the name or particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated, except to a person the law authorises. If someone telephones asking about you, we do not confirm you were here. How confidential care works for women from outside Goa.
Nearby pages
Further south on the same railway line, see patients from Sindhudurg. Across the Amba ghat, see patients from Kolhapur.
Which Goa station should I get off at for Vasco?
Madgaon. Almost every train from Ratnagiri stops there, and Vasco is about 45 minutes to an hour away by road. Karmali also works if your train stops or ends there. Do not get off at Thivim: it is in North Goa, far from Vasco. The hospital car can meet your train.
I live in Chiplun or Khed. Can I go and come back the same day?
Usually not. The train from Chiplun to Madgaon takes about five and a quarter hours on the quickest trains and up to about nine on slower trains; from Khed the quickest trains take a little under five hours. Add the scan and the treatment, and it is wiser to plan for one night in Vasco.
I live in Rajapur or Lanja. Which station should I board at?
Fewer trains to Madgaon stop at Rajapur Road than at Ratnagiri. Many people from Rajapur or Lanja find it easier to go to Ratnagiri station, where many more trains stop. Check current trains from both stations before you decide.
Do the trains run slower in the rains?
Yes. The Konkan Railway runs a slower monsoon timetable through the rainy months, roughly mid-June to late October. Journeys take longer then, so check current trains, leave extra time, and tell us if your train is running late.
Is Goa nearer for me than Kolhapur or Mumbai?
Not always in kilometres, but it is a different kind of journey. Kolhapur means the road over the Amba ghat, and Mumbai is seven hours or more by road. Goa is one train down the coast, with no change and no ghat.
Do I have to bring my Aadhaar card?
Aadhaar is one option, not a must. Bring any one government photo ID: Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licence or passport. Also bring any scan and blood reports you already have, and a list of the medicines you take.
Or call +91 95459 20817 · +91 75582 52088 · 0832 251 3641
This page is for general education and is not personal medical advice. Treatment depends on your own examination and reports, so please speak to a doctor about your situation. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind.