Patients on board: The Rail Clinic stops at the Kota Lama Station in Malang, East Java. Its free health services for residents living around the station aims to help people in remote areas.

While people usually board a train to travel, hundreds of residents in small villages in Java board this special train to get health services.

Murtiyani, 60, walked slowly to the terrace of Kota Lama station, only 25 meters from her home in Ciptomulyo sub-district, Sukun district, Malang, East Java. She had heard about a health service being offered by state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) and wanted to have her uric acid level checked.

After her blood pressure was taken and she waited for a while, the grandmother of six looked puzzled when she was told to go to the platform and board the train, where a medical doctor gently offered his help.

She was examined inside the railcar, which has been modified to provide health services. Shortly after, Murtiyani left the car with a smile on her face and some prescribed medicine in her hand.

Siti Malikah, 35, also visited the station to have her oldest child, Faiq, examined as he felt unwell. Like Murtiyani, she was confused when the railway officers accompanied them to a rail car.

“It was strange. My child was examined on board a train,” she said after the health check.

She liked the new experience, though.

“The atmosphere on the car was just like in a public health clinic. The rail clinic was even cleaner, with complete facilities,” said the mother of two.

Siti said she was very grateful for the free medical treatment, hoping that it would be available on a regular basis.

This mobile health service was organized by KAI through its Rail Clinic when the train stopped at Kota Lama, Malang. It was the first time for the Rail Clinic to visit Malang since its inauguration on Dec. 12, 2015.

Wiwik Widayanti, executive vice president of the company’s Operation Area VIII Surabaya, said the Rail Clinic had been designed to provide health services to Indonesian communities utilizing rail routes to reach places not easily accessible by motor vehicles.

Healing hands: A physician examines a resident on the Rail Clinic.

“The clinic has two cars with medical personnel ready to conduct initial medical checks, covering general health, eyes, teeth, pregnancy, as well as providing pharmaceutical or drug administration. We target residents living around the stations,” she said.

She said several days after the inauguration, the Rail Clinic had offered its first health service to residents living around Wojo station, Bagelen, Purworejo regency, Central Java.

The recipients of the free treatment are selected based on data recorded jointly by KAI, local districts and health offices. Residents near the stations being visited can receive free health care by showing their identity card.

Wiwik said currently the Rail Clinic was scheduled to stop at two stations in each of the nine operation areas in Java. At each stopover, at least 300 residents received the service, which was offered from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“If there are too many people but we still have time, they will still be served,” she said.

Local communities have shown an enthusiastic response to the Rail Clinic health service, which is a part of the company’s corporate soscial responsibility program.

“We hope this service can be further developed through cooperation with other state-owned enterprises or agencies to increase the existing facilities and enable us to reach other areas that are still remote from health amenities but accessible by train,” said Wiwik, adding that the facility was also expected to provide help in times of emergency or natural disaster.

The Rail Clinic is located on a train modified by Balai Yasa (the train maintenance center) on Oct. 10, 2015, with its own diesel railcar retrofit so that it has greater operational freedom without depending on a locomotive.

It has two cars, predominantly in white, with rooms for different kinds of health services and environmentally friendly toilets. The first car comprises a doctor’s monitoring room, emergency and recovery room, dental exam room and lab.

Emergency action can take the form of basic life support, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), monitoring of vital signs, defibrillation, minor surgery, electrocardiography, initial trauma management, as well as X-ray reading.

The second car consists of a maternity room that can provide antenatal care and normal deliveries in cases of emergency, a general service room for medical checks, such as eye, ear, nose and throat examinations, as well as pharmaceutical services.

— Photos by Nedi Putra AW

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