In an initiative that will provide access to good healthcare facilities to common people across the country, the two ministries of health and railways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for development of healthcare infrastructure along the railway network in the country.

According to MoU, the two ministries will collaborate to develop healthcare facilities both for allopathic and Indian Systems of Medicine viz diagnostic centres, out-patient centres, inpatient medical treatment centres, super speciality hospitals, medical colleges and nursing colleges, etc.

These health care facilities could also be used as trauma centres for emergencies, accidents and natural disasters. Apart from railway passengers, Indian Railway employees and their families, public living around such areas and other citizens will also benefit from the proposed facilities. Ministry of railways has identified land areas it can spare all over the country. The Ministry has identified tentatively 361 plots of at least 200 Sqm each, 88 land areas of 5 acres each and 41 land areas of 20 acre in the vicinity of railway stations. The Ministry of Railways will add to the list of spareable land bank on ongoing basis as and when available. More land can be provided depending on need and availability.

Wherever feasible, the hospitals will be developed with a planning to connect them to medical college at later date. The Ministries will set up High Power Working Group to work out a time bound programme with a view to early identification of specific projects which could be taken up on priority basis.

Even though many of the existing facilities provided by the government in rural and urban areas facilities are normally accessed by the habitation around the railway stations, they are grossly inadequate specially in large urban centres. Further it is difficult for the floating population to access such facilities. The State Governments are often constrained to expand the health care facilities due to non-availability of required land at the important places. This is more so, in large towns where sizeable population has come up in and around the railway system. The proposed facility will address this issue.

An MoU in this regard was signed in New Delhi by K Sujatha Rao, secretary, health, and S S Khurana, chairman, Railway Board in the presence of union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and railways minister Mamata Bannerjee.