Sonia launches new, expanded 'Lifeline Express'

New Delhi, Jul 12: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today launched aspanking new and expanded 'Lifeline Express', the world's firsthospital on a train, describing it as ''a magic train and harbinger ofhope'' for the poor villagers in rural India, providing them qualitymedicare free of cost.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, who was also present, said theRailways would soon start 'Jeevan Express'', on the pattern of LifelineExpress, to create awareness among the rural masses about the perils ofHIV/AIDS.

''The Lifeline Express (LLE), a collaborative project of ImpactIndia Foundation and Indian Railways has been hugely successful inproviding healthcare free of cost to the poor people.

''It has inspired the Railways to launch 'Jeevan Express', intandem with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), to createawareness about AIDS,'' Mr Prasad said.

Inaugrating the new five-coach LLE, Mrs Gandhi said the train waslaunched in July 1991 and comprised four coaches, offering on-the-spotdiagnostic, medical and advanced surgical treatment for preventive andcurative interventions for the poor.

''These coaches had become old and needed to be replaced by thenew ones,'' she said, thanking the Integral Coach factory, Perambur formanufacturing the five new coaches at a cost of Rs five crore.

Mrs Gandhi, who is also chairperson of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation(RGF), said the Foundation had been the single largest sponsor of theproject. ''RGF has so far sponsored 33 Lifeline projects in variousstates,'' she pointed out.

She also lauded the contributions of 75,000 surgeons and medicalpersonnel from India and abroad, who had volunteered their services forit, saying they were ''unsung heroes''.

''This project of Impact India is a unique example of PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) model, bringing together government anddedicated NGOs,'' she said.

The train is equipped with three operation tables, modern surgicalequipment and accessories, kitchen, restrooms, sterilisation equipment,recovery room for the patients, audiometry/ophthalmic room and X-Rayroom.

It also boasts of an auditorium and training facilities for 50medical personnel. In addition, it has two powerful generators forround the clock power supply for the entire period of the project,being funded by Impact UK, charitable bodies, Indian corporate housesand individuals.

The train has completed 92 five-week sponsored projects havingmedically served free of cost nearly 4.5 people in remote ruralinteriors of India.

Inspired by it, China, Zimbabwe and some other countries havestarted their own Lifeline Express on which major surgeries have beenperformed to restore movement, hearing, sight and correction of clefts.

Bangladesh has set up hospital river boat "Jibon Tori", which has proved to be immensely popular.

UNI