The Ministry of Railways shared a video showing a ticket checker performing CPR on a 70-year-old passenger who reportedly had a heart attack during a train journey. While the video praised the railway employee’s efforts, it drew criticism from doctors, who pointed out that performing CPR on a conscious person goes against medical guidelines and could lead to legal consequences.
The Railway Ministry praised the TTE as a “life saver” in a post on X, sharing that the incident occurred in the general coach of the Amrapali Express, which runs from Amritsar in Punjab to Katihar Junction in Bihar.
“While travelling in the general coach of train number 15708 ‘Amrapali Express’, a 70-year-old passenger suffered a heart attack. The TTE deployed there immediately gave CPR and saved the life of the passenger. The passenger was then sent to the hospital at Chhapra railway station,” the post read.
The video showed the TTE giving mouth-to-mouth breathing to the man, who was clearly conscious and responsive. This method is typically used to assist an unconscious person in breathing.
Medical experts were alarmed by the “misleading” video and urged the Railways to remove it from social media, fearing it might spread incorrect practices.
“Performing CPR on a patient who is conscious is very dangerous and wrong,” wrote Dr. Аshїsh Рrаdhаn (@DrAshishPradhan). “This is no joke. CPR is a life-saving procedure. Please delete this video so that people don’t lose lives over misinformation.”
Dr. Nawazish Khan (@docman_nhk) explained, “CPR is not for conscious patients. It is only done on those who are unresponsive and not breathing or have no effective pulse. Doing CPR on a conscious person breaks medical rules and can lead to legal issues for the person performing it.”
Cardiologist Dr. Shariq Shamim (@ShariqShamimMD) emphasized, “He is awake; you DO NOT perform CPR on an awake person. CPR is not meant for every heart attack case. Government officials should avoid posting such misleading content.”
Separately, activist Dr. Vishnu Rajgadia (@VishnuRajgadia) revealed that he has filed an RTI seeking information about the TTE’s medical training and details of the Railways’ investigation into the incident.
“I have filed a RTI request for information about this so-called CPR. Hope the Ministry of Railway will respond properly,” Rajgadia wrote on X>