Divisional Railway Hospital, Golden Rock Explained

Divisional Railway Hospital
Org/Group:Southern Railway zone
Country:India
Coordinates:10.7845°N 78.7253°W
Location:Golden Rock, Tiruchirappalli
Region:Tiruchirappalli district
State:Tamil Nadu
Funding:Public
Type:Full-service medical center
Patron:Dr. V. K. Ramteke [1]
Network:Indian Railway Hospitals
Emergency:Yes
Helipad:No
Beds:197

The Divisional Railway Hospital, also known as the Ponmalai railway hospital, is a secondary hospital in Golden Rock, in the Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu, India. This hospital is managed by the Southern Railway zone's Tiruchirappalli railway division. It serves active and retired Indian Railway employees and their families.

History

The hospital is located amidst the Railway Quarters in Golden Rock, near the Golden Rock Railway Workshop[2] and Golden Rock Shandy. Established in 1927 by the erstwhile South Indian Railway Company,[3] it is the oldest hospital in the Southern Railway zone older than the Zonal hospital at Perambur, which was constructed in 1928.[4] It is part of Indian Railway Medical Services, which maintains a large network of hospitals 56 divisional and 9 zonal.[5]

Administration

The personnel health care in Indian Railways is managed by the Director General of Railway Health Services under the Railway Health Directorate, an apex body at the Railway Board.[6] The Chief Medical Director of the Southern Railway zone oversees the health affairs at the zonal level, under which five divisional hospitals function at Arakkonam, Madurai, Palakkad, Thiruvananthapuram, and Golden Rock, headed by Chief Medical Superintendents.[7] As of 2016, the officer in charge of the hospital is the Chief Medical Officer, Dr R. Soundararajan,[8] an orthopod, who reports to Dr P. Velusamy, the Chief Medical Superintendent for the Tiruchirappalli railway division.[9]

Background

Being one of 56 divisional railway hospitals in India,[1] the hospital functions exclusively for the benefit of serving and retired railway employees and their families,[10] comprising about 100,000 people[4] belonging to the Tiruchirappalli railway division and spanning 10 districts of Tamil Nadu.[11] [12] Besides this main facility, the hospital also maintains a 25-bed sub-divisional Hospital at Villupuram and eight Railway Health Units/Polyclinic at, Tiruchirappalli Fort, Srirangam, Vriddhachalam, Tiruvannamalai, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, and Tiruvarur.[4] [13]

Facilities

The hospital has 21 full-time doctors in eight departments: General medicine, General Surgery, gynaecology, Paediatrics, ophthalmology, anaesthesiology, physiotheraphy and orthopediatrics. These are supplemented with a clinical laboratory, digital X-ray unit, ultrasound scan, operation theater, casualty department, ambulance, treadmill, intensive care unit, and blood bank facilities.[14] Additionally, specialists in the field of urology, pulmonology, cardiology, psychiatry, dermatology and dental surgery are regularly engaged on an ad hoc basis for the patients with weekly once OPDs.

Developments

The hospital, which is visited by about 600 outpatients daily,[10] also has 197 beds for inpatients,[4] including the 2016 addition of a 100-bed surgical ward.[15] The building that once housed the isolation ward was renovated at a cost of with 12 beds for the sake of inpatients' attendants, with basic amenities for free of cost.[14] About 5 LED television sets and playing equipment for the children at hospital were donated from the Railway Staff Benefit fund.[16] An orthopaedic block with 57 beds was constructed at the second floor of the surgical ward, covering an area about and costing ; also installed were a bed lift and an automated analyser and mechanical ventilator at a cost of and, respectively.[17]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: About Us – Health Directorate. Indian Railways. Railway Board. 5 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912004010/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/health/index.jsp. 12 September 2016.
  2. Web site: Facility for railway staff in dire straits. 18 April 2013. The New Indian Express. Tiruchy. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912004819/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Facility-for-railway-staff-in-dire-straits/2013/04/18/article1549907.ece. 12 September 2016. Shreenesh. Raman. 5 September 2016.
  3. Web site: Hic! Here's the secret of patients in high spirits. 22 April 2013. The New Indian Express. Tiruchy. https://web.archive.org/web/20160820011105/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Hic-Here%E2%80%99s-the-secret-of-patients-in-high-spirits/2013/04/22/article1555607.ece. 20 August 2016. Shreenesh. Raman. 5 September 2016.
  4. Web site: About Medical Branch – Trichchirappalli Division. Southern Railway zone. 11 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033255/http://www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1322196396381-about.pdf. 4 March 2016. PDF.
  5. Web site: Health Directorate . Indian Railways . 19 September 2016 . . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20160912004010/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/health/index.jsp . 12 September 2016 .
  6. Web site: Facilities – Health Directorate. Indian Railways. Railway Board. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912005634/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/health/health_1.jsp. 12 September 2016. 5 September 2016.
  7. Web site: Organisation – Headquarters. Southern Railway zone. 1–2. PDF. https://web.archive.org/web/20120530075230/http://www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1316687569610-organisation.pdf. 30 May 2012. 5 September 2016.
  8. Web site: Trichy railway station food vendors briefed on hygiene, quality . 2 September 2016 . . . https://web.archive.org/web/20160912010914/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/Trichy-railway-station-food-vendors-briefed-on-hygiene-quality/articleshow/53973751.cms . 12 September 2016 . 5 September 2016 . dead.
  9. Web site: Organisation Structure. Southern Railway zone. 1. PDF. https://web.archive.org/web/20150415014347/http://www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1322196449900-organisation.pdf. 15 April 2015. 5 September 2016.
  10. Web site: Ponmalai railway hospital to create database of diabetic patients. 6 May 2014. The Hindu. Tiruchi. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912011433/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/ponmalai-railway-hospital-to-create-database-of-diabetic-patients/article5981503.ece. 12 September 2016. R. Rajaram. 5 September 2016.
  11. Web site: 130 unmanned gates identified for closure in Tiruchi Division. Rajaram. R.. 6 June 2012. The Hindu. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912011817/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/130-unmanned-gates-identified-for-closure-in-tiruchi-division/article3496528.ece. 12 September 2016. 5 September 2016.
  12. Web site: Jurisdiction map of the Division. PDF. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213446/http://www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1359448578677-TPJ-JURI%20updated%20for%20hindi%20section-Model.pdf. 3 March 2016. Southern Railway zone. 5 September 2016.
  13. Web site: Southern Railway – Health Units. Indian Railways. Railway Board. 1. PDF. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912012547/http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/health/pdf/facilities/sr.pdf. 12 September 2016. 5 September 2016.
  14. Web site: Attendants' block opened at Railway Hospital. 25 May 2010. The Hindu. Tiruchi. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912012709/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/attendants-block-opened-at-railway-hospital/article437967.ece. 12 September 2016. 5 September 2016.
  15. Web site: Kallakudi Palanganatham-Ariyalur railway line nearing completion. 16 August 2013. The Hindu. Tiruchi. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912013033/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/kallakudi-palanganathamariyalur-railway-line-nearing-completion/article5027784.ece. 12 September 2016. 5 September 2016.
  16. Web site: Railway staff honoured. 5 July 2014. The Hindu. Tiruchi. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912013453/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/railway-staff-honoured/article6180280.ece. 12 September 2016. 5 September 2016.
  17. Web site: New orthopaedic block opened at railway hospital. 9 March 2013. The Hindu. Tiruchi. https://web.archive.org/web/20160912013912/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/new-orthopaedic-block-opened-at-railway-hospital/article4490886.ece. 12 September 2016. 5 September 2016.