RailEnquiry

In a bid to bring free healthcare to the poor, the Lifeline Express, world’s first hospital on rail, has started treatment of patients at free of cost on Sunday evening at Raipur railway station. Services of the special train will be available in the city till December 9.
There are five coaches in the train, one of which is reserved for operation of patients. In the second coach, doctors are doing post operation preparation. In the third coach, doctors and other staff are doing rest while in the fourth coach, there is arrangement of food for doctors and other staff and the last coach is reserved for storage of medicine and equipments.

The treatment session was inaugurated by Lok Sabha MP from Raipur constituency Ramesh Baish. State Women and Child Development Minister Lata Usendi and Mayor Kiranmoyee Nayak were also present during the inaugural ceremony.

Officials of Health department said, there will be operations of the cataract patients from November 18 to December 1 in the train.  “Over 150 patients will be operated upon daily basis and five additional machines have been installed to treat the patients,” said Dr KR Sonwani, Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

He further informed that there will be operations for injured lips from December 2 to 8, experts will operate and treat children suffering from polio under age of 15 from November 21 to 25, and for patients of eyes, ears and nose from November 22 to 26. Patients suffering from teeth disease will be treated from November 27 to December 7. All these patients will also get the medicine at free of cost.

Dr Sonwani also urged public to take maximum advantage of the programme and further informed that lodging and boarding facilities for the patients as well as their attendants have been made at the Dau Kalyan Singh (DKS) building by the State health department. Apart from lodging, patients are also provided with food at DKS building.

It may be noted that the Lifeline Express is a mobile train that runs in collaboration with Indian Railways and Health ministry of Government of India.  It was started to provide on-the-spot diagnostic, medical and advanced surgical treatment for preventive and curative interventions for disable adults and children.