The Railway Board has now asked all the zonal railways to collect data of hospitals, including those in the private sector, willing to treat victims in case of an railway accident and to provide immediate medical relief to accident victims.

Following instructions from the Railway Board, the Southern Railway has planned to have a detailed data base of hospitals willing to treat accident victims, by collecting data basic information about the hospitals. The data collection commenced yesterday, Southern Railway Chief Medical Director Dr K A Abraham told The Indian Express. Based on the willingness shown by hospitals to treat accident victims in case of railway accidents, Railway officials, including a railway doctor, would inspect the hospitals and ascertain basic information such as its telephone numbers, the number of beds available,blood bank, X-ray, number of doctors available, information about surgical department, fax numbers and e-mail addresses.

Information about the facilities offered by the hospitals would also be sent to all 10 Railway Hospitals and 50-odd health units in Southern Railway.