Southern Railway has proposed to establish free emergency medical facility centres at eight more stations over Tiruchi Railway Division to help rail travellers requiring immediate medical attention.
The 24-hour medical centres are planned to be set up at Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, Puducherry, Ariyalur, Vriddhachalam, and Nagapattinam stations.
The centres will be built, operated, and manned by private hospitals with the railways providing designated space, electricity, and water connectivity free of cost.
The railway administration has called for expression of interest from interested organisations and a memorandum of understanding would be signed between the railways and the chosen party.
Tiruchi Railway junction was the first station in the division where a round-the-clock medical centre was opened last year.
Railway sources said the contract would be for one year which was renewable subject to satisfactory performance of the selected organisation.
The private party would have to build the medical centre as per the plan approved by the railways by mobilising own resources.
Medical equipment to provide basic life-saving services and paramedical staff would have to be engaged by the chosen organisation. A doctor at the centre would attend to travellers requiring immediate medical attention.
The objective of starting free emergency centre at railway stations was to provide medical attention to passengers requiring them as there had been instances of travellers suddenly feeling uneasy and uncomfortable because of some problems while travelling, a senior official said.
The official said passengers requiring advanced medical care would be shifted to the nearest hospital of his or her choice through an ambulance which would be parked at the station for emergency use.
The railway administration would go into the reputation and background of the interested organisation coming forward to establish the medical centre before taking a call, the official said.
Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, and Mayiladuthurai fall under the “A” category station while Puducherry, Ariyalur, Vriddhachalam, and Nagapattinam are classified as “B” category stations.
