Ambulance on wheels: A medical boon for railway employees

Lonavala:  Since its launch two years ago, the Rail Ambulance of Central Railway (CR) has been providing basic and critical medical treatment to employees of the transport undertaking living in different cities.

The four-coach fully AC ambulance, equipped with health care facilities, is currently stationed here in Pune district.

"Though this ambulance was meant to provide emergency treatment to rail accident victims and transporting critical patients, it has gone extra mile and is attending to health needs of railway employees," said A K Srivastava, Additional General Manager of Central Railway.

Designed at the rail workshop at Matunga in Mumbai, the vehicle is suited for transporting accident victims to hospital in a short time, Srivastava said.

The coaches are aesthetically designed and house a operation theatre to carry out minor surgeries like cataract and providing emergency treatment to accident victims," said Chief PRO of Central Railway Narendra Patil.

"This ambulance can be extremely useful in the golden hour for the accident victims. It acts like a moving hospital and conducts health camps," he said.

The ambulance-on-wheels is the brainchild of former GM of Central Railway D K Sood.

"Through this ambulance, we held several health camps in Dhule, Bhusawal, Dhulia, Wadi, Nagpur and Bhandak, among other places, last year and a total of 1,816 railway employees received medical treatment.

"The health camps are organised as part of our welfare programmes for our employees," Dr Shyam Sundar, Chief Medical Director of the Central Railway said.