Karachi: The main means of transportation in the country is the passenger trains of Pakistan Railways, in which thousands of passengers travel daily, but the surprising situation is that if any passenger in these trains has a medical problem on an emergency basis, the railway has There is no medical emergency facility and no doctors or medical staff are deployed in these trains.
Malik Muhammad Nadeem Bhatta, a passenger who was traveling from Lahore to Karachi in Tezgam Express, said that he along with his family was traveling in AC Business Class of Tezgam Express when his foot slipped due to which he fell. went and started having severe pain in his spine, on which he approached the railway authorities in the train, but they did not have any medicine for back pain. He asked the railway authorities if there was a railway doctor or paramedical staff in the train and was told that the train only has a first-aid box but no medical facilities to deal with emergencies.
He said that he continued to bear the pain, called a dear one and he brought pills to relieve the pain at Multan station, after taking which my pain eased. After that I reached Karachi, where I got myself treated after seeing the concerned doctor. He expressed regret over the issue that there is no medical facility to deal with emergency in passenger trains of Pakistan Railways.
Saba Sultana, a woman traveling from Karachi to Faisalabad, said that she was traveling with her daughter in Karakoram Express economy class. It happened that the blood pressure was high but I did not have the blood pressure medicine with me because I forgot to keep the medicine. Railway authorities also did not have blood pressure medicines and no medical facilities were available. In the same box, a woman gave me blood pressure medicine. It was a coincidence that the woman was also using the same medicine that was taken in pills. He said that it is unfortunate that there are no doctors present in Pakistan Railways trains and there are no medical aid facilities.
In this regard, Railway Workers Union Chairman Manzoor Razi said that Pakistan Railways plays an important role in the country's economy. He said that the railway has more than 7 divisions which include Karachi, Sukkur, Multan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and others. There were 22 passenger trains running on the main line of Pakistan Railways, out of which 4 have been stopped and 18 passenger trains are running at present.
He said that there is no medical emergency facility in the passenger trains of Pakistan Railways, no doctors or paramedical staff are posted in any train, if a passenger suffers from a medical emergency, they should be given medical assistance in the passenger train. There are no facilities but few trains have first aid box guards but they also have nominal medicines. If there is a serious medical emergency, the help of the district administration has to be taken or the vehicle is stopped at a station and the patient is shifted to the nearest hospital.
He said that the government should take notice of this serious situation and appoint railway doctors and paramedical staff in the train at the divisional level. The train should have oxygen and medical equipment and medicines to deal with emergencies.
Syed Shahid Iqbal, Central Media Coordinator of Pakistan Railway Premium Union said that it is unfortunate that the profitable passenger trains of the railways are being privatized. He said that except for major railway stations, there is no medical emergency facility for passengers in any small stations or passenger trains. Railways has a complete medical department, if the railway authorities want, doctors and medical staff can be posted in passenger trains. He said that if there is any accident or medical emergency with a passenger in the train, then the emergency is dealt with with the support of the district administration.
Railway officials said that currently 97 passenger trains are running on the up and down tracks across the country as per the schedule, including Khyber Mail, Tezgam, Karachi Express, Karakoram, Khushal Khan Khattak and other trains. He said that apart from the engine and power coach, 19 coaches are installed in the big passenger trains which include Economy, AC Standard, AC Business and AC Sleeper. The 19-coach trains carry 850 to 900 passengers per train. Railway authorities admitted that there is no integrated emergency medical aid facility available in passenger trains.
Director Public Relations and Spokesperson of Pakistan Railways Babar Ali said that if there is a medical emergency in a passenger train, the guard has a medical and first aid box, senior medical officers and medical staff are present at all stations. If the passenger's condition worsens, the train manager or guard sends an emergency message to the nearest major stations. The passenger is immediately checked up by the railway doctors at the mentioned stations and if the condition worsens, the passenger is transferred to the hospital by the railway ambulance and given medical assistance. At small stations, if a message is received from the train guard or manager through the divisional control office that the passenger is unwell, then rescue 1122 is called and the passenger is immediately taken to the nearest hospital for medical attention. .
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