Mumbai: In order to provide immediate medical services to commuters travelling in local trains, from tomorrow (Feb 8), Lilavati Hospital will start an ‘Emergency Medical Centre’ at Dadar Station’s Platform No 6 of the Central Railway (CR). A senior doctor said the patients can avail health facilities from the best doctors of the hospital at a minimal cost, at Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates on Outpatient Department (OPD) basis.
“A fixed rate of consultancy fees at the hospital is Rs1,500 while the same doctors will treat patients at the centre for just Rs 400,” said a doctor. Ajaykumar Pande, Director, Lilavati Hospital said the centre will run through charity and all the trustees of the hospital have approved the idea of starting the medical centre at the station.
“It is for the first time a private hospital has tied up with the CR to start a medical centre at a railway station which will be operational for 24 hours from Friday, February 8. We will also be placing a monitor on which doctor’s name will be displayed with their designation,” said Pande. He further said the medical centre will be well-equipped with beds, trained nurses and doctors.
The centre will be replacing the current EMR which has been shut since August due to lack of doctors and quality medical services. The centre has been designed considering the high standard of the medical facility of the hospital. “We will also spend close to Rs 4 lakh every month on the salaries of the medical staff.
Moreover, the patients who need to be hospitalised will either be referred to the nearest hospital or transferred to Lilavati Hospital and those who cannot afford treatment will be looked after for free,” Pande said. Accident patients with valid tickets will be given free treatment. Also, all the basic diagnostic tests would be done at the same CGHS rate at the hospital and blood samples would be collected from homes.
Sunil Udasi, chief public relation officer, CR, said the idea of starting the EMR again is to save lives in the first hour of emergency, called golden hour. “We have floated tenders for starting more centres at 24 locations, but the one at Dadar Station will be the first one to be functional from Friday,” Udasi added.
