THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KSRTC has started an emergency medical care unit in Thiruvananthapuram Central as part of its plan to expand healthcare networks in its depots. Inaugurating the event, Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar said it was the first such initiative by a state RTC in a bus terminal in India.
The unit offers the service of a nursing officer round-the-clock. “The treatment and medicines are provided free of cost. The facility can be used by the public too. People in a 1-km radius from the depot will benefit from it,” Ganesh said. NIMS Medicity will provide support for the Thiruvananthapuram unit. Ganesh said KSRTC is planning to start medical check-up for all employees using CSR funds. The check-up package will include cancer screening for women.
He also stressed on maintaining bus stations clean to keep diseases away. “KSRTC is focusing on punctuality, zero cancellations, clean toilets, rest rooms and good behaviours of staff to attract passengers. We want to show that public transport facilities are attractive,” he said.
KSRTC plans to set up 14 such units in depots in Thiruvananthapuram Central, Kottarakkara, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Sultan Bathery, Kannur, Kasaragod, Neyyattinkara, Nedumangad and Thrissur, in association with the Society for Emergency Medicine India. Dr Shiju Stanley, president of SEMI (Kerala), said the emergency medical care units would help address the gap in providing pre-hospital treatment during an emergency. The units will also act as a centre for creating health awareness, he said.