Mumbai: Lifeline Express-Hospital on Wheels Inaugurated at CSMT
Mumbai, 29th September 2023: In a momentous event, the Lifeline Express-Hospital on Wheels was officially inaugurated today at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) by Naresh Lalwani, General Manager of Central Railway. This remarkable initiative, in collaboration with the Impact India Foundation, reaffirms Indian Railways’ commitment to providing free medical care to underserved communities in remote regions of the country.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by distinguished guests, including Prof(Dr) Rohini Chowgule, Managing Trustee of Impact India Foundation, Gautam Datta, Chief General Manager (HR) of Indian Oil Corporation, Rajesh Arora, Principal Chief Engineer, Renu Sharma, Principal Chief Personnel Officer of Central Railway, Akhlaq Ahmed, Additional Divisional Railway Manager of Mumbai Division, and several other senior officers from Central Railway.
Indian Railways, in partnership with Impact India Foundation, introduced and launched the Lifeline Express, often hailed as the world’s first hospital on wheels, on 16th July 1991 from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Central Railway, with the aim of providing medical care to the poor free of cost in the most remote corners of the country.
This seven-coach train, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, boasts the most advanced medical equipment and a dedicated team of medical professionals capable of treating patients and even performing surgeries on board.
The Lifeline Express has traveled across 19 states of India, covering 201 rural locations in 138 districts and providing medical treatment to 12.32 lakh patients, including 1.46 lakh cases of surgery. This includes treatment like Restored Mobility, Vision, Hearing Restoration, Correction of facial deformities, treatment for Epilepsy, Dental problems, Cancer, and more, all provided free of cost. In Maharashtra, it has conducted projects at Ratnagiri, Ballarshah, and Latur in the past two years.
The Lifeline Express train will now move to Turki for its next project. It is scheduled to depart from CSMT at 17:15 hrs on 29th September 2023 and is expected to reach Turki station near Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar in Uttar Pradesh (via Bhusawal, Jabalpur) on 1st October 2023 at 02:00 hrs.
