A Lifeline Express Project, sponsored by Tata Steel, has been inaugurated at Jajpur Road Railway Station Siding on 21st February 2005 by Mr Naveen Patnaik, Honorable Chief Minister of Orissa.

The Lifeline Express epitomizes an international initiative, which began in 1981 in England to prevent and cure avoidable disablement. In 1991, Tata Steel got involved with Lifeline Express movement in India and took the mobile hospital to the most remote corners of our country. The current project is the eighth time that the Company has been associated with it since its inception and the maximum times by a single corporate house.

Lifeline Express – the world’s first hospital on rails, offers on the spot diagnostic, medical and surgical interventions to the disabled, free of cost. Promoted by Impact India, this hospital on rails shares miracles of modern medicine with the villagers of India, a large majority of them are unable to gain access to medical practitioners. The hospital has four coaches, fully equipped and air-conditioned for pre and post operative care.

The project will run till March 24, 2005 in this area. This is the eighth such initiative by Tata Steel in the country after the projects at Chainpur, Jamadoba, Noamundi, Bamnipal, Gopalpur, Ghatsila, Jassidih where it has reached out to nearly 30,000 patients with various forms of operable disabilities.

Tata Steel’s efforts towards spreading the message, mobilizing the patients and facilitating the operations are spearheaded by the Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS). Once they arrive at the Express, the Company’s doctors take over.

While inaugurating the project, the Hon’ble Chief Minister thanked the Steel Company for bringing the Life Line Express to the district of Jajpur.

The other dignitaries present during the inaugural ceremony were Mr P C Ghadei, Minister of Finance, Mr Debashis Nayak, Minister of State for Information and Public Relations, Sports & Youth Services, Smt Pramilla Mallick, Minister for women and Child Development and Smt Sanchita Mohanty, MLA.

The organization of the Lifeline Express in Orissa by Tata Steel reiterates the century of partnership towards progress between the two.

The project would cover one month of actual operative time and has been set up with a facility of a 300-bed referral hospital for pre and post operative and in patient care unit. The operative unit will take care of over 1500 surgeries that are likely to be done and in patient unit shall take care of 5000 needy patients and their attendants in the OPD. Patients with operable Orthopedic (Post polio deformities) disabilities, hearing related disorders, cleft lip and eye related operable disabilities would be given corrective surgeries and appropriate aids and appliances.