PASSENGER  CARE

(Chapter – 13)

 

 

13.1    GENERAL                                                                                                                                                                                                              

13.1.1    Assistance to passengers and their relatives is of utmost importance in relieving them of same of their misery.

13.1.2    Injured passengers and their relatives are to be treated with utmost courtesy, concern and sympathy to alleviate their trauma and discomfort.

13.1.3    For  dealing with relatives arriving from  far long corners of the country, staff fluent in the local language of the place from where the train originated should be used as interpreters.

13.1.4    Commercial supervisors & WIs should be assigned to talk to injured passengers to ascertain from them whether they wish to call relatives.

13.1.5    Injured passengers should thereafter be provided with either mobile or BSNL STD phones in order to enable them to speak to their relatives.

 

13.2    HOSPITALIZATION OF THE INJURED

13.2.1    General policy in case of railway accidents in which casualties occur is that of rapid evacuation to railway hospital after rendering immediate and necessary first-aid treatment.

13.2.2    In case there are no railway hospitals nearby, then they are to be admitted in the nearest Govt. hospitals.

13.2.3    In following cases, injured may be taken to a Private hospital.

                                       i.     When there is no railway or govt. hospital available within a radius of say 8 kms, of the site of accident or.

                                      ii.     When the attending doctor certifies that the treatment in private hospital is necessary in the interest of the patient.

                                    iii.     Except where railway doctor certified, such injured passenger should normally be eligible to the lowest class of accommodation in private hospitals where different scales are available.

                                   iv.     Where the family of the injured person desires to be provided with a higher class accommodation, the family should give in writing to pay the extra cast involved directly to hospital authorities.

13.2.4    For this purpose, each division should make out a working arrangement with such private hospitals as may be necessary in areas served by them so that in an emergency injury cases can be referred to hospitals concerned without loss of time.

13.2.5    To facilitate matters and to avoid misunderstandings, CMD should draw up a list of such private hospitals bearing in mind Railway and non-Railway hospitals in the vicinity.

13.2.6    Power has been delegated to MS/ARMV-in-charge for settlement of charges to be paid for such cases for each class of accommodation.

13.2.7    Payments to private hospitals under this para can be arranged locally by the Railways and Ministry of Railways approval is not necessary.

(Extract of Para 701(1) & Para 712 of Chapter VII of IRMM and Para 1421 of Indian Railway Establishment manual and M.O.Rs letter No. MH59/MES/96/medical at. 18.12.1959).

13.2.8    When injured are admitted in non-railway hospitals, railway doctors should be deputed to  these  hospitals to render necessary assistance, including supply of medicines as required  which may not be available in these hospitals.

13.2.9    They should also carefully monitor the condition of injured and maintain an updated list with all details.

13.2.10    If more than one hospital is involved, apart from deputing doctors to individual hospitals, a railway doctor should also be deputed to coordinate and maintain centralized up dated position.

 

13.3    FACILITIES TO BE MADE AVAILABLE IN HOSPITAL

13.3.1    There should be a separate reception counter manned by commercial supervisor or WI at the entry to the hospital for dealing with relatives of patients who arrive.

13.3.2    A chart should be displayed at this reception counter indicating ward nos. where accident patients are admitted along with their names, coach no. wise.

13.3.3    At the entry to each such ward, a second list should display the name of the patient, coach no and the bed  no. inside the word.

13.3.4    Commercial staff and WI on duty at that hospital should carry a last indicating the name, address and telephone no. of relatives as given by the patient, and whether they have been informed or not.

13.3.5    Arrangements should be made to inform the next of kin or a relative or friend of the deceased, in case identity of the person involved in accident becomes known.

13.3.6    As each relative arrives his name should be marked in the list against the passenger’s name.

13.3.7    Reception counter should be provided with BSNL telephone with STD facility.

13.3.8    There should be 2 mobile telephones for being taking to patients inside words for making outgoing calls.

13.3.9    Complete medical care of all passengers including payment of medical bills till their final discharge should be provided.

 

13.4    COMMUNICATION

13.4.1    STD Telephones/Mobile phones should be made available to passengers to communicate with their relatives.

13.4.2    Railway Telephones available at adjoining Stations/Cabins/Gates shall be extended to the accident site.

13.4.3    In case of passenger train accident mobile phones which will be kept at ART/ARME will be used by the stranded passenger free of charge.

 

13.5    SINGLE WINDOW CLEARANCE

13.5.1    CAC should have provision of single window clearance for all legal formalities & multiplicity of paper work.

13.5.2    Counters provided in CAC should have facilities for following items in the given sequence as indicated in Annexure – 3.

13.5.3    Reservation chart, for locating the name.

13.5.4    List of dead and injured along with name of hospital. The name of passengers involved should be checked up from the list of dead or injured, if available, and their current status informed.

13.5.5    Counter for providing commercial supervisor or WI as escort along with a vehicle, for accompanying the relative and going around to various hospitals or mortuary.

13.5.6    Railway doctor for issue of Medical Death Certificate.

13.5.7    Govt. doctor for issue of Post Mortem Clearance, in case the same is necessary.

13.5.8    Municipality official for issue of Official Death Certificate.

13.5.9    Local police for issue of authority for handing over of dead body.

13.5.10    Claims counter – Payment of ex-gratia and issue of Claims Compensation Form.

13.5.11    Counter for helping performance of last rites in case relatives decide to cremate the body there itself.

13.5.12    Pass counter for issue of return journey pass.

 

13.6    PERFORMANCE OF LAST RITES

13.6.1    In many cases relatives decide to perform last rites at the place of accident itself instead of taking the body back to their native place.  

13.6.2    In such cases railways should render appropriate assistance to relatives for performing last rites.

13.6.3    Information about performance of last rites of the deceased would be conveyed to the relatives & transport will be provided for carrying the body.

13.6.4    Assistance will be rendered by WI and Commercial supervisor.

 

 

 

 

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