Pune railway station to get ambulance and medical store

PUNE: The Pune railway station is all set to get a 24-hour ambulance service, with officials also mulling a medical store at the facility.
“The approval for the ambulance has come from the Central Railways. It will be a dial 108 ambulance service. The Pune station witnesses a footfall of more than one lakh passengers daily and we feel that an ambulance should be at the facility all the time to deal with any medical emergency,” said Gautam Chheda, associate vice-president (domestic and international business), BVG India, which has undertaken the facility management right at the Pune station.

The station already has a medical care unit managed by the Aditya Birla group. “Recently, a child was delivered at the medical facility. However, we do feel that an ambulance is necessary at the station all the time. If there’s something serious, the ambulance can be available within minutes and the patient can be transferred to the nearest hospital in no time,” Chheda added.

The station is undergoing several changes after the contract for managing the facility was given to BVG India for 15 years by the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDCL). The officials said that they were also considering opening a pharmacy shop at the station.

“Though a final decision on the same is yet to be taken, the plan is being considered seriously. Many times passengers forget to carry their medicines or they are lost. The opening of a pharmacy store will help such passengers, who can buy the medicines after producing proper prescription,” the official pointed out.

The company had earlier announced that it would start a low-cost lounge at the facility, besides setting up 8 food stalls on platforms number 2,3,4,5 and 6.

“The idea of having an ambulance at the station is good. Moreover, a pharmacy on the premises will also benefit people,” Parmesh Jagtap, a regular passenger, said.