Kolkata: In November, he had responded to a tweet by a woman passenger in distress. A month later, he arranged for milk for a hungry child on a train. On Wednesday, railway minister Suresh Prabhu’s intervention saved a two-year-old child’s life on the Bhagalpur - Bangalore Anga Express by arranging for emergency medical care at the Asansol station. The child, suffering from severe dehydration, was admitted to the paediatric ward of the divisional railway hospital in Asansol.

Shankar Pandit, a software engineer with Wipro had travelled from Bengaluru to his uncle’s house in Kiul, Bihar, to attend a ceremony. Accompanying him were his wife and two-year-old daughter Bangasikha. They were scheduled to return to Bengaluru on January 2, 2016, and boarded the Anga Express from Kiul at 4.10 pm on Wednesday. They were booked in the AC-II tier A1 coach.

“Bangasikha fell ill soon after the train started from Kiul. She started throwing up and had loose motions. There was nothing that we could do to control it. Other passengers and train staff tried to help but her condition deteriorated. You can imagine how desperate our situation was. There was so much luggage with us and we couldn’t even consider getting off at some unknown location to seek medical help. Bangasikha was clearly sinking. It was then that I tweeted an SOS to @RailMinIndia. Within a couple of minutes, I received a call from the railway minister’s office. Then I was flooded with calls from railway officials who wanted to know my location and other details. I had never anticipated such a response. I feel honoured and privileged,” Pandit told TOI from Asansol.

Immediately after receiving the tweet, Prabhu got in touch with Eastern Railway officials in Kolkata and directed them to provide medical assistance to the child at Asansol station. When the train rolled into Asansol around 8.50 pm on Wednesday, a fully-equipped medical team was waiting along with an ambulance, R N Mahapatra, CPRO, Eastern Railway said.

“The child was in serious condition. She was very dehydrated and on the verge of collapse. This is very dangerous for a child her age. After a preliminary check-up, I told the parents to get her admitted to the railway hospital. Doctors at the hospital had been informed of the situation in advance and were prepared when our ambulance reached there within a few minutes. The child received proper treatment there and is on her way to full recovery,” said Sukhen Gorai, assistant divisional medical officer, Asansol, who attended to the child at the station. Deputy station manager (commercial) M Tiwari and deputy station superintendent A K Keshari and other railway staff provided assistance to the family.

“Our daughter is well now, thanks to the railways. We spent Wednesday night in the hospital and moved to a hotel on Thursday. The railways not only saved my child but also assured that our tickets from Asansol to Bengaluru would be confirmed,” Pandit added.

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