Lifeline Express, a unique initiative taken by jointly by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Indian Railways and Impact India Foundation, chugged into Guntur on Saturday.
The ‘Hospital on Wheels,' being stationed on platform 7 at Guntur Railway Station is having facilities to conduct surgeries on children with special needs. It would be stationed at the station till September 27. The facility covers districts of Guntur, Khammam, Krishna, Nalgonda and Prakasam.
Children below the age of 17 years and diagnosed with congenital defects like cleft-lip, polio and ortho-related disabilities would be treated by a panel of surgeons in the train.
The world's first hospital on a train was launched in 1991 and has five coaches customised on the lines of a fully equipped hospital with facilities for medical examination, surgery and post-surgery operations.
Inaugurating the Lifeline Express, Minister for Primary Education S. Sailajanath said that State had identified about 2 lakh children with special needs and 8,000 of them have been identified as out-of-school children.
The Rajiv Vidya Missions (RVM) identified about 2,000 children with special needs in each district and they would be operated upon in the train during specific dates.
Children would be given post-surgical treatment at Rail Bhavan in Arundelpet. The State was also involving the services of about 5,000 teachers and physiotherapists from the Government General Hospital, the Minister added.
Later, he distributed tri-cycles to children with special needs.
Excise Minister M. Venkata Ramana Rao, Housing Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana, MLCs R. Srinivas, K.S Lakshmana Rao, Principal Secretary, Primary Education, Chandana Khan, Collector V.N. Vishnu and Divisional Railway Manager Anand Mathur were also present.
