Kochi / Palakkad: A seat can be allotted under the emergency quota to a train passenger for treatment purpose, railway rules state. The reservation clerk can contact the division office in such cases. However, the application for the seat under the said quota has to be submitted before the reservation chart is prepared. A doctor's certificate needs to be submitted while booking the ticket.

For heart surgeries, if a doctor’s certificate is presented, the patient and a helper can get 75% deduction in the fare. A cancer patient and a helper can get reservation for free for their travel.

At the same time, the TTE doesn't have the authority to provide seats for emergency travel for treatment. Since those on the RAC and waitlist could protest, the TTEs do not oblige such cases during rush time. When there is no rush, the TTEs could allot seats on humanitarian grounds.

Options plenty, but…

When urgent medical care is required during a journey, the first option is to identify a doctor who could be travelling from the reservation chart and his services sought.

Under the Palakkad division, there are medical booths in Kannur, Kozhikode, Shoranur and Palakkad stations. Under the Thiruvananthapuram division, treatment facilities are available in Kollam, Ernakulam and Thrissur in association with private hospitals.

According to the guidelines, the TTE or the guard should inform the control room about patients who could need urgent care and treatment should be made available by the next station. The station master is required to arrange an ambulance and take the patient to hospital too. For the benefit of travellers, the details of hospitals nearby are displayed at all stations.

Toll-free numbers

If you require emergency care during journey:

* Call railway toll-free numbers 138 or 182. 182 is mainly meant for help regarding security issues.

* The call goes to the control room under the jurisdiction of the railway division office from where the call is made.

* The TTE and railway protection force are alerted, and necessary action initiated.

A tragic tale

A one-year-old girl with a heart disease died on Maveli Express Wednesday after her mother's pleas for a seat were turned down. The child's parents, Kannur natives, said that they were pushed off the reserved coaches by ticket examiners every time the train halted at a station.

The health of the child, who  had undergone a heart surgery at the Sree Chitra Tirunal Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram three months ago, worsened on Tuesday. After the doctors asked her to be taken to the state capital, the family had no choice but to rely on the rail service. However, the family could not ensure a reserved berth on the train at the last moment.

Read more: Latest Kerala news