Railway Station Facts: Why are there no medical stores at railway stations? Are medical facilities available at the railway station? What should passengers do if they need medicines?
Railway Station Medical Store: During the journey, passengers easily get food items, books, tea-coffee and other essential items at the railway station, but many people must have noticed that medical stores are not visible at most of the railway stations. In such a situation, the question arises that when thousands of people pass through the station every day, why are there no medical stores there? There are many administrative, legal and practical reasons behind this. Let us know the complete information about this topic.
There are different rules for shops at railway stations
Opening any shop at a railway station requires special permission and license from the Indian Railways. The space available in station premises is limited, so Railways gives priority to services which are in highest demand, such as food items, drinking water, book stalls and travel facilities. Medical stores require additional regulations and licensing processes.
Strict laws apply on the sale of medicines
Merely having a shop is not enough to run a medical store. For this, many legal conditions have to be fulfilled like drug license, presence of qualified pharmacist and safe storage of medicines. It can be challenging at times to follow all these rules in the busy and confined spaces of the railway station. This is the reason why medical stores are not established at every station.
Medical facilities are available at many stations
However, it would not be completely correct to say that there is never any medical facility at the railway station. Railway hospitals, health units, first aid centers or medical aid rooms may be available at major railway stations. Passengers can avail these services in case of emergency. Licensed medical shops are also available at some major stations.
Emergency assistance is the priority of Railways
The main objective of Railways is not to open medical stores at every station, but to provide immediate medical aid to the passengers when needed. Therefore, facilities like first aid boxes, medical staff and emergency helplines are provided at many places. This will enable passengers to get immediate help in critical situations.
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Demand is also limited at small stations
The number of passengers at thousands of small railway stations in the country is relatively less. Running medical stores in such places is not considered commercially profitable. Due to low demand, private operators do not show interest in opening shops there, due to which the availability of medical stores further reduces.
Medicines are easily available around the station
Markets, clinics and medical stores exist outside most railway stations. Railway administration also believes that passengers can easily get essential medicines outside the station premises. For this reason, the medical store inside the station is not seen as a primary facility.
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Can such facilities increase in future?
With the development of digital health services and modern railway stations, medical facilities may expand to more stations in the future. Keeping in view the increasing number of passengers and health related needs, Railways is continuously working towards providing better medical facilities at many stations. Therefore, in the coming times, medical services in the station premises may become more accessible than before.