Odisha train accident: Survivors receive medical care in Chennai

CHENNAI: The 34-year-old man from Kasimedu who came to the M G Ramachandran Central Railway Station in Chennai with a head injury along with 136 survivors of the Coromandel Express train accident on the special train has been admitted to the adjacent Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
Among nearly 25 people who came to the station with injuries, four people required admissions, but three patients with fractures and other injuries were discharged against medical advice, hospital dean Dr E Theranirajan said.
Dharani, who came with head injuries, underwent basic medical tests at the hospital. “He is conscious, coherent, and stable. He will be under observation for at least 24 hours,” Dr Theranirajan said.
“The health condition of three other patients is stable although they may require some medical intervention,” he said. A cancer survivor who was on her way to Christian Medical College Hospital in Ranipet for treatment suffered injuries, but she refused admission, doctors said.
Earlier, six teams of doctors, nurses and paramedics waited at platform number 11 with stretchers, wheelchairs, crash carts and essential drugs to attend to patients. The state government was informed that eight people with injuries were boarding the train from Odisha but at Chennai Central 25 people sought help for minor injuries and health conditions.
“Some patients were ferried to the GH by ambulances for X-ray and other treatment. Passengers were from different districts, and some were from another state,” health minister Ma Subramanian said.
The transport department has planned buses so all patients can reach their homes safely, he said.
Although 294 people boarded the train on Saturday, 137 of them came to Chennai. Many others got off in different railway stations, Subramanian said. Until now, the state hasn’t received messages about deaths or grievous injuries to patients from Tamil Nadu. At least two ministers – Udhayanidhi Stalin and S S Sivasankar – were in Odisha to coordinate with the government to track and help people from the state, he said.