Mumbai rail accident victims to be airlifted to hospitals in choppers

In order to provide speedy medical attention to victims of train accidents Central Railway CR is planning to introduce air ambulances to ferry them to hospitalsCR and Air Force officials have gone on joint visits to various locations in and outside Mumbai to identify plots where the helicopters could land They have zeroed in on some open grounds school grounds and parks Pic for representationFor this purpose CR is in talks with the Indian Air Force to utilise their M17 helicopters to airlift the victims to the nearest wellequipped hospital This facility is especially aimed at those injured outside Mumbai and nearby suburbs in order to bring them to city hospitalsEach helicopter can carry 10 victims and four paramedics and will be flown by an experienced Indian Air Force pilot PicGetty ImagesAccording to sources CR and Air Force officials have gone on joint visits at various locations outside and in Mumbai to identify plots for landing the helicopters Presently CR authorities have finalised a 60 metres by 40 metres plot at Nirmal Park in Byculla which is close to their Railway HospitalThe idea for air ambulances came in the aftermath of the DivaSawantwadi Passenger accident in May when victims were stranded because they couldnrsquot be ferried by road or rail File picldquoWe have also looked at open grounds school grounds and other parks beyond Kalyan and Panvel from where victims can be ferriedrdquo said the official ldquoThe space identified here is sufficient to land the M17 helicopter that will be manoeuvered by an expert Air Force pilotVictims can then be taken to the nearest government hospital for treatmentrdquo said a CR official on condition of anonymity From here the victims can be taken to other nearby hospitals and ambulances have been provided for the same They are also looking at tying up with J J St George KEM Nair hospitals and others in the vicinityOfficials say they have taken various factors like air funnel wind speed and nearby obstructions into considering before choosing the land Soon after an accident is reported a 60x40metres plot can be levelled for landing the helicopters near the accident sitesThe expert pilot along with other authorities will also determine landing feasibility Each of these helicopters can carry 10 victims and four paramedics Railway officials are particularly focussing on accidents occurring beyond Panvel and Kalyan where availability of secondary and tertiary hospitals is scarceIn case the victim toll is huge they will be flown to secondary hospitals in Badlapur and Ambernath But after that if numbers continue to swell victims will be brought to city hospitals In Mumbai the Harbour line is of priority since it is a single rail line and its roads are in poor condition making transportation of victims to hospitals a tough taskThe idea germinated after the recent DivaSawantwadi train accident in May this year where passengers were stranded because there was little scope to ferry victims by road or railCR has come under fire for its failure to take victims to hospitals within the golden hour the crucial first hour after an accident during which if medical help is provided the chances of survival are said to increaseSources said primary hospitals usually take about six hours to stabilise accident victims after which doctors can decide with fair accuracy the appropriate secondary or tertiary hospital to which each victim can be sentWith health being a state subject authorities said the new government should take quicker decisions to implement the project They also suggested involving private hospitals to help in such accident cases but confessed that the facilities havenrsquot been too forthcoming in this regard