Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw is facing internet backlash for a dangerously ill-informed post on X, shared in a seeming bid to display the ‘heroics’ of the Indian Railways staff. On Sunday, November 24, the Minister proudly posted a video on X of a railway staff member administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to a fully conscious passenger, with the caption, “Our dedicated Indian Railways’ team.”
For those unfamiliar, CPR is a life-saving technique for people who are unconscious and not breathing—not for someone like the patient in the video, who is awake, conscious of his surroundings, and able to respond to questions.
The internet was quick to call out the dangerous nature of the post, demanding that the minister take down the video.
“The railway person is harming the patient,” said Dr Cyriac Abby Phillips, popularly known as Liver Doc. Pointing out that CPR on a conscious person is not just unnecessary but harmful, he noted that the crude chest compressions risk rib fractures, chest trauma, and overall chaos. The doctor further lambasted the minister for promoting adverse medical treatment, without consulting medical health professionals.
Some users also urged the minister to provide medical training to the staff in case of a medical emergency, so they can save the patient instead of causing harm.
Seemingly in response to the backlash, the minister later came up with a clarification in a follow-up post. “CPR should be stopped when a person becomes conscious or follows commands, which are signs of return of spontaneous circulation,” he wrote.
As of 6 pm on November 25, however, he is yet to delete the video.