Central Railway will set up Emergency Medical Rooms (EMRs) at 43 stations on its Mumbai suburban network, with the e-auction process for the facilities scheduled from September 18 to 23. The new EMRs will be introduced in phases after the completion of the bidding process.
At present, only 12 EMRs are operational across the Mumbai suburban division. The expansion comes amid concerns over accidents involving passengers falling from moving local trains. According to available data cited by Central Railway, deaths and injuries in such incidents on the Central Railway network have increased by 250 per cent.
The proposed EMRs will provide immediate first aid to passengers injured in accidents. Those requiring further treatment will subsequently be shifted to hospitals, with the aim of reducing the critical time between an accident and the start of medical treatment.
The expansion is also being undertaken in accordance with directions issued in a public interest litigation before the High Court, the railway said.
Three EMRs at Kalyan, Byculla and Vashi are currently managed by Central Railway’s medical department. The Annie Foundation, Thane, has been providing the service at these facilities under an arrangement running from August 1, 2022, to July 31, 2027.
Nine other EMRs, at Karjat, Kurla, Titwala, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Ghatkopar, Thane, Bhandup, Kanjurmarg and Dombivli, are managed by the commercial department.
The EMRs at Chembur and Mankhurd are awaiting completion of drug-licence-related procedures. At Khopoli, construction work is expected to be completed after the monsoon, following which the facility will be made operational.
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