Take a look at the Lifeline Express which is India’s first hospital on wheels which has now stationed at the Badarpur station at Lumding Division of North Frontier Railway in Assam. The train is serving patients free of cost. At present, the train is equipped to handle two modern operation theatres with 5 operating tables and other facilities.
Until now, the Lifeline Express has served more than 1 million people with free consultation, treatment and surgeries across India. The train which had started way back in July 1991 and run in collaboration between India Impact Foundation(IIF), Indian Railways(IR) and Health Ministry.
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The train is set to embark on the 210th project in the new year from January 5th to January 24th. Ahead of the people reaching out for treatment to the Lifeline Express, an outreach programme is conducted to access and screen medical requirements and be equipped to treat patients flocking to the Lifeline Express.
Some medical treatments given are surgeries to restore eyesight to the blind, mobility to polio stricken patients, restoring hearing to those with hearing impairments, epilepsy treatment and restoring smiles those with cleft lip. General check-ups also take place.
This time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staffers are conducting the outreach programme to prevent overcrowding as many take it as a health camp. There are 20 staffers at the Lifeline Express coupled with visiting doctors and surgeons from various medical institutes of India.
There are 2 operation theatres with state of the art facilities and 5 operating tables. The dental department has 3 chairs while other facilities include XRay, mammography, colposcope and pathology laboratory.
The 7 coach train will monitor basic health parameters like blood pressure, pulse amongst others for those who have registered in advance.