APD | Indian Railways sets up health ATMs

By APD writer Rishika Chauhan

New Delhi, Feb. 10 (APD) - To supplement revenue, the India Railways has set up health ATMs at many railway stations around the country.

At these ATMs, paramedics do basic check-ups. Often weighing scales are installed and basic tests like Body Mass Index (BMI), and hydration level are conducted. Moreover, blood sugar and blood pressure can also be tested.

An Indian Express report quoted the experience of a passenger who used the health ATM service, he said, “It was all tested for Rs 60 and within a few minutes — that too at the railway station. Any pathologist would have taken at least Rs 200 for some basic test but there it was — as simple as withdrawing cash.”

Another passenger Shyju Raju said, “They have reinvented health testing and made it affordable.”

An official from the railway explained, “The Non-Fare Revenue (NFR) is an important aspect of revenue generation apart from ticketing. The targets are to generate about 10-20 percent of the annual expenditure through NFR.”

“But sadly under NFR, advertisements were only thought as a way of generating revenue until now.,” he further said.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)