The Indian Railways transports more than 2.3 crore passengers daily – roughly twice the projected population of Uttarakhand state in 2022. Catering to the health needs of this population is its responsibility. The Balasore train accident in June 2023 raised important concerns about rail safety, but it was largely about accident-related safety.
Because of its high passenger throughput, there is another kind of safety the Railways is responsible for but which is often overlooked: medical emergencies.
In 2017, 1,076 medical emergencies were reported at the Katpadi Junction railway station in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. A quarter of these emergencies were trauma-related; the remaining ranged from minor ailments like fever to life-threatening conditions like low blood sugar. Nearly 1 in every 10 emergencies reported at the station’s emergency help desk, operated by Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, required urgent, life-saving intervention.
