An emergency medical care centre for passengers will soon be established at the Chennai Central railway station, thanks to the intervention of the Madras High Court.
Responding to a writ petition, the Southern Railway has said that realising the need for such a facility at the station, it had started inviting Expression of Interest from various hospitals.
The railways counsel submitted that the centre at Chennai Central, like the one at the Bangalore railway station, would be established very soon.
Following this, the First Bench comprising the Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam said that in view of the railways’ submission, it was disposing of the petition with a direction to the railways to establish the centre at the station as expeditiously as possible, preferably within three months.
A.Malathi, an advocate, filed the petition citing two instances of passengers dying due to lack of medical facilities at the railway station.
He said both the persons might have survived had they received necessary emergency medical care at the station itself.
Much-needed
A permanent medical care facility was much needed at the Central station to avoid delay.
The railways should give first aid in emergency situations. Victims were forced to be on the platform while battling for life.
In emergencies, time-consuming formalities should be avoided.
