Lifeline Express, the world’s very first hospital on rails,
was on view at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai

The Air India hoarding

So what is Impact India’s Lifeline Express? It is not a regular train or a palace on wheels; it is like its name suggests a saviour on wheels! Moving along to the remotest of places in the country providing medical services to the illiterate and impoverished tribal, free of cost. It is now headed to Atgaon village in Thane district, Maharashtra State for its 100th project.

The Lifeline Express Hospital train all decorated

To date the train has completed 99 five-week sponsored projects having medically served over 500,000 persons in the remote, rural interiors of India where medical facilities are scarce – all given free of cost with the donated services of 80,000 surgeons and medical personnel from all over India and abroad, together with a large number of volunteers.

A visitor may not have witnessed the many success stories behind this mere train but visually one could feel the celebration. The colorful coaches, decorated with garlands throughout the train’s length, were a picturesque sight and surprised the curious Mumbaikars who found state-of-the-art Operation Theatres instead of the regular passenger seats! Visitors were introduced to the various projects through display panels exhibiting the facts and figures of the 99 projects conducted so far throughout the length and breadth of India.

Representatives from the Times London
inside the Operation Theatre

The first coach has 200KVA Diesel Generating sets which serve as standby for the entire Lifeline Express, a staff compartment with 12 berths and a kitchen fully equipped with a gas stove, exhaust electric chimney, oven, refrigerator, water purifier, geysers and a washing sink.

The second coach consists of a drawing room, an office, a medical store, a dressing room and two modern Autoclave machines for high pressure steam sterilization of instruments.

The third and fourth coaches have fully equipped Operation Theatres where five operations can be conducted simultaneously. Each operating table has a set of anaesthetic equipment, superior shadowless lights, Boyles apparatus with Halothene Vapourisers, an imported Carl Zeiss microscope, multipurpose monitor, defibrillator, diathermy cautery machine, anaesthesia ventilator and instrument trolleys. The main Operation Theatre has a closed-circuit TV camera for training of local doctors in real time, air sterilizers and air curtains. A recovery room with six beds is attached to the operation theatre.

The fourth coach, with a separate Operation Theatre can be de-linked from the main train to provide on-the-spot medical services during times of calamity or natural disaster.

The fifth coach has an auditorium with a seating capacity of 40, a large LCD TV, a public address system and closed circuit TV. There is also an ophthalmic examination room, a pathology laboratory for blood tests and an X-ray machine.

Chairman, A.H. Tobaccowala explains the
services of the train to Sowmya Raghavan,
General Manager, Central Railway

Dr. Rumi Jehangir, President of Rotary Club of Bombay went on to express his support “You deserve all the support and credit you all can muster”. Many prominent citizens from the medical field expressed tremendous appreciation. To quote Dr. Yash Shah, “the Operating Theatre hygiene is up to the mark. Would like to be part of the team”. Dr. Vijay Satbir Singh, Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, Government of Maharashtra, too was truly impressed and congratulated and wished the Impact India Team “All the best”.

School children throng to see
the Lifeline Express on display

In true style the Train is no less a giver like Gandhiji.

To honour the dedication and spirit of Impact India’s Lifeline Express a pocket size Hindi ‘Janata’ edition of the Gandhi Book was released at the exhibition and was offered to the visitors at a discount of 50% on the original price of Rs.50.

After three successful days the Lifeline Express has moved on to celebrate its 100th project at Atgaon, Shahapur Block in Thane district. A splendid show has been organised to be honoured by senior Representatives of the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, local sponsor JSW Steel Ltd., together with a high level team from Impact Foundation U.K. and Impact Forum Norway. Impact India Foundation forges ahead with its Lifeline Express because of the immense satisfaction Impact gets and the impact it leaves on the major population of our country.

Samina Ahmed
Volunteer with Impact India
April 18, 2008