Indian Railways is making an all-out effort to supplement the healthcare efforts of the state governments
Sustaining the fight against Covid-19, Indian Railways has started providing care to corona patients referred for admission in COVID Coaches deployed in various states. On June 20, 2020, 42 suspected patients were admitted in COVID Coaches deployed at Mau Junction in Varanasi division and 17 patients were admitted on June 21, 2020. Eight patients have already been discharged.
Indian Railways is making an all-out effort to supplement the healthcare efforts of the state governments. Indian Railways has geared up to provide its 5231 covid care coaches to the states. Zonal Railways have converted these coaches as covid care centres to be used for very mild/mild cases.
As of now, Indian Railways has deployed a total of 960 covid care coaches in five states i.e. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. Out of total 960 covid care coaches, 503 covid care coaches have been deployed in Delhi, 20 in Andhra Pradesh, 60 in Telangana, 372 in Uttar Pradesh and five in Madhya Pradesh.
In Delhi, 503 covid care coaches are deployed at nine locations. 50 coaches are deployed at Shakurbasti, 267 at Anand Vihar, 21 at Delhi Safdarjung, 50 at Delhi Sarai Rohilla, 33 at Delhi Cantt, 30 at Adarsh Nagar, 13 at Delhi Shahdara, 13 at Tughlakabad and 26 at Patel Nagar.
In Uttar Pradesh, total 372 coaches have been deployed at 23 different locations i.e. Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Jn., Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Faizabad, Saharanpur, Mirzapur, Subedarganj, Kanpur, Jhansi, Jhansi Workshop, Agra, Nakha Jungle, Gonda, Nautanwa, Bahraich, Varanasi City, Manduadih, Mau, Bhatni, Bareilly City, Farrukhabad and Kasganj.
In Madhya Pradesh, a total of five coaches are deployed at Gwalior. In Andhra Pradesh, a total of 20 coaches are deployed at Vijayawada while in Telangana, a total of 60 coaches are deployed at three different locations i.e. Secunderabad, Kachguda and Adilabad.
As per guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) Government of India, these state governments have sent the requisition to Indian Railways and Railways have allocated these coaches to the state/UTs.
It is worth mentioning that Indian Railways is working as a service provider of coaches as covid care centres as its contribution to the national cause. Doctors and paramedics are to be provided by state governments. This is as per MoH&FW guidelines issued on May 6, 2020.
Railways are deploying two liaison officers for each location of coaches to assist the state government officials. All efforts are being made to reduce the heat in the coaches in the given weather conditions. Railways are assisting the state government in all possible manner to help the patients.
It may be noted that these coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to the covid care centres as per guidelines issued by MoH&FW. These coaches can be used in areas where the state has exhausted the facilities and needs to augment capacities for isolation of both suspects and confirmed covid cases. These facilities are part of the integrated covid plan developed by MoH&FW and NITI Ayog.