Lalu gets Patna a railway hospital

Primarily aimed at providing super speciality medical care to 14.3 lakh serving and 2.18 lakh retired railway employees and their families at reasonable prices, the plan envisages Railways operating services relating to industrial medicine, primary and secondary care as well as involving the private sector in operating and maintaining the tertiary medical facilities—the super-specialty services in cardiology, cardio-vascular surgery and nephrology.

The proposed five-storeyed structure, having a total built up area of 15,000 square meters, is proposed to be managed jointly by Railways and the private partner.

Despite having a vast in-house medical system—as many as 121 Railway hospitals and 586 health centres across the country including 16 central hospitals at each zonal headquarters — the Railways have to depend on private and other government hospitals for as much as 90 per cent of tertiary curative care for its patients. Estimates show that the ministry spends almost 10 per cent of the total medical budget, which was Rs 66 crore last year, on treatment in private hospitals.

While the Railways has super speciality wings in six of its central hospitals, the need for more has always been felt.

The Railways is trying to hardsell the idea to private players by showing them the huge gap between the demand and supply of super-speciality medical services in Patna.

“The lack of super-speciality facilities means that even the affluent patients are forced to go to bigger cities like Delhi and Chennai. This is a huge business opportunity not only for the Railways but also for the private partner,” says a ministry official.

In addition to handling railway accidents, travelling passengers, other station calls and pre-employment medical examinations, the proposed super speciality hospital would offer tertiary services in cardiology and cardiac vascular surgery and Nephrology. Further, it would offer routine OPD services and casualty services, referrals to secondary and tertiary care services, preventive and promotional medical services, and OPD and indoor medical facilities for all general specialties.