First aid last priority at Bluru's biggest bus stand at Majestic

Lakhs of bus passengers will be at the mercy of God in the event of any eventuality at the BMTC bus stand in Majestic, as there is no proper medical assistance available there.

There is a first aid centre at the bus stand, but it functions for just five days a week, that too between noon and 4 pm.

As there is neither a subway nor a footbridge for the passengers to cross from one bus bay to another, passengers are vulnerable to minor accidents. BMTC staff say passengers often fall down from the footboards of buses in their rush to grab a seat for themselves.

If passengers meet with a minor accident, there is no proper facility at the bus stand to give them first aid. A few months ago, a passenger succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident. Had first aid been given to him, his life could have been saved, said a staff at the bus stand. All buses are fitted with the first aid box, but most of them lack in necessary medicines. No less than 8 lakh passengers commute to various parts of the city every day from this 24x7 bus stand.

The staff say that it will be an uphill task for them to make arrangements to rush the injured to the hospital. An ambulance would take a long time to enter the bus stand at peak hours. So it was suggested that an ambulance be kept ready inside the bus stand for use in emergency, but it yielded no result.

Nagaraju S, general secretary, KSRTC Staff and Workers Federation, says that the first aid centre was opened here just for namesake. What is the use, if doctors are not available round the clock at the centre to treat the injured, he asked.

Denying that first aid boxes are empty, BMTC managing director Ekroop Caur told Deccan Herald that all the boxes have necessary medicines. H Nabhiraj Jain, chairman of BMTC, said that necessary steps would be taken to keep medicines in first aid boxes.