With the intention to offer healthcare facilities to millions of rail travelers and people living in regions beside railway tracks, the health ministry has signed up a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the railway ministry to set up over 480 health care facilities at major stations across India.

The healthcare facilities, which include 351 diagnostic centres, 88 second-level medical units plus 41 multi-specialty medical facilities, could also be utilized as trauma centres for mishaps, emergencies and natural calamities.

Health Secretary K Sujatha Rao and Railway Board Chairman S S Khurana signed the MoU in the company of Union Health & Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Railways Minister Mamata Bannerjee.

As per the MoU, the two ministries will team up to establish health care facilities both for allopathic and Indian systems of Medicine such as super-specialty hospitals, inpatient medical treatment centres, medical colleges, out-patient centres, diagnostic centres as well as nursing colleges.

In a statement, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “This is a historic decision by both health and railway ministries to provide healthcare to masses.”

“This initiative will benefit railway passengers, railway employees and the common people living in and around railway lines,” said Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

She said the decision was finalized after a month-long conversation with the health functionaries, and asked both the departments to get faster and offer first-class healthcare facilities to people residing in grass roots.

According to the MoU, the land needed to set up the different health infrastructures would be provided by the Railways, while the health ministry would be in-charge of the building up process.

The railway ministry has tentatively identified plots to open heal care facilities and said that extra land can be provided depending on requirement and availability.

“We are expecting to spend up to Rs. 10 million for setting up diagnostic centres,” Sujatha Rao added.