Special Correspondent

Panaji, May 5: Almost 500 Russians holidaying in Goa during the current tourist season faced medical emergencies during their stay here, a senior official said adding that 18 cases were near fatal in nature.

Liga of Defense and medical assistance (LDM), a cashless insurance initiative of the Russian parliament, attended to 486 Russian tourists in Goa who warranted emergency medical attention during their
vacations here.

LDM’s legal advisor in Goa Vikram Varma said `there have been a number of cases where Russian tourists due to accidents have suffered near fatal injuries’.

“But due to the timely and professional assistance of the team at LDM Goa, about 18 lives were saved,” he said. They were referred to the local private hospitals, where they were attended to by the team of
medical experts.

LDM has a dedicated team for state of Goa, which works 24x7 in the state considering the thick presence of Russians here, who fly down to this sunny destination when Moscow witnesses a snowfall.

The tourist season 2011-12 in Goa is nearing end as the last chartered flight to Russia is expected to fly out from state’s Dabolim airport in mid-May.

Moscow-based LDM is an initiative of the Russian Parliament to provide assistance to Russian Citizens abroad as well as foreign citizens in Russia. The facility, which is a cashless medical insurance, was
extended to the state of Goa from this season onwards.

Varma said that the volume of Russian tourists coming to Goa every is increasing, Varma said adding we hope that adequate efforts are made by the industry and the authorities to maintain this flow of tourists
from Russia.

As per government figure, the Russians amount to second highest number of foreigners arriving in this state, which is known for its beaches. Around 50,000 Russians arrive here which bloat the figure of foreign
arrivals in Goa.

The UK citizens top the chart, who come here during the winter season back in their country.