The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has decided to offer doctors free travel and complimentary passes on the Bharat Darshan and Bharat Tirth package tours in order to make commuting safer for the passengers.

As per a report in Times of India, the decision was taken in the light of a couple of deaths registered on such tours in the last one year. There have also been instances of commuters falling ill during these journeys. In some instances, tour officials have found it difficult to obtain a death certificate if the commuter died during the journey. IRCTC hopes that in such scenarios, the doctors on board can be of help to the commuters.

Rahul Himalian, additional general manager, IRCTC (west zone) said, "There will be two doctors on each train, and they will be given a complimentary pass on which relatives or friends can travel. The doctors will not be charged, but they will have to attend to commuters who fall ill during the journey. Even the commuters will be provided the treatment free of cost by these doctors."

Virendra Singh, group general manager, IRCTC (west zone) said, "This is a pilot project and will be first tried on trains originating from Mumbai. Only doctors with MBBS and MD degrees, especially those with experience, will be approached." Himalian said that IRCTC officials will conduct an interview with the doctors before offering them a package. "We want the doctors to be qualified as well as sensitive, as they have to be able to provide their services at any time of the day."

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