CHENNAI: It is now mandatory for Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) to provide timely medical assistance to rail passengers during emergencies while travelling.This comes after the Railway Board ordered Southern Railway to fix responsibility on TTEs in arranging medical care for train passengers and change the duty list of ticket checking staff, train superintendents and train attendants.
This would mean that TTEs neglecting passenger complaints of medical emergencies during train travel will be tried for dereliction of duty on their part. “When a passenger or a companion informs the TTE or train superintendent that she is sick or developed emergencies (such as respiratory problem, cardiac arrest or any other medical complaints), the TTE should immediately alert the control room or the next immediate station so that the passenger can be given necessary medical assistance at the next railway station where the hospital is situated,” said the railway board directive.
So far, though TTEs had been assigned to look after passenger complaints ranging from coach cleaning to food quality to medical care, the role to arrange medical aid for passengers was not added. “On receiving request from passengers, the front line staff should contact the nearby Station Masters who will have details of doctors, clinics and hospitals, both government and private in the vicinity and should arrange medical aid. Now, the railways has fixed the responsibility on TTEs to ensure that passengers get medical aid at earliest,” explained a senior official.
The official added that all express trains are equipped with first aid boxes containing essential drugs and dressing materials. In addition, TTEs also have been trained to render first aid. In 2015, to provide medical assistance during emergencies, the railways introduced helpline number 138. The move did not yield desired results. Later in September 2017, a 55-year-old woman travelling to Dhanbad from Jodhpur by train died allegedly due to delay in getting medical assistance.
Following this, the Rajasthan High Court directed railways to provide a team of one medical officer, one nurse, and one attendant in all long-distance trains.In October 2017, on an appeal filed by the Centre, the Supreme Court ordered railways to provide oxygen cylinders in all passenger trains.