Free 24×7 emergency medical service at Pune railway station
Updated: Apr 09, 2018 22:38 IST
The Pune railway administration inaugurated an emergency medical booth at the Pune railway station on Sunday, that will be operational 24×7.
Senior divisional commercial manager Krishnath Patil said, “This emergency medical booth is being established for convenience of passengers. Doctors would be present at this emergency medical booth to cater to any medical problems faced by passengers.”
Speaking about the initiative, Harsha Shah, president of Railway Pravasi Group said, “We have been demanding such a facility since long. As per railway rules, a medical facility at every junction is necessary with Pune catering to lakhs of passengers everyday; this was the need of the hour. There are cases when passengers suffered from certain medical emergencies and were taken to Sassoon General Hospital. Having an emergency facility at the station premises would ensure that the passengers get access to atleast the basic medical treatment faster.”
Shah said that, in 2017, ‘One Rupee Clinics’ were started at 14 different stations in Mumbai in which the consultation charges were just Re 1.
“One Rupee Clinics were also a very good initiative but failed to work and now these clinics are not functional,” said Shah.
She stated that care must be taken that the emergency facility at Pune railway station does not follow this track and close down within a year.
She also stressed that in trains, like Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto, a medical personnel is expected to be present which is not the case currently. “The railway staff was supposed to be trained for providing first aid service to passengers in need which also does not happen. Also, there are 600 railway hospitals across the country but these hospitals have not been able to provide any service to passengers which is disappointing,” added Shah.
Many passengers also welcomed the initiative by the railways to start the emergency medical booth at the station and demanded for a medical store to be opened at the station.
Source : Hindustan Times
