Modified rail coaches to provide 3.2 lakh isolation beds: Indian Railways
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Workers remove berths from a passenger train to install as beds to set up an isolation facility in the train amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus, in Chennai (Photo: Reuters)
Railway authorities told to be prepared to convert 20,000 coaches into isolation wards
2 min read . Updated: 30 Mar 2020, 05:33 PM IST Edited By
J. Jagannath
- Railways in talks with Armed Forces Medical Services, Ayushman Bharat on setting up isolation wards in coaches to treat Covid-19 patients
- 5,000 coaches will initially be converted into isolation wards for Covid-19 patients, Railway Board
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Indian RailwaysCoronavirus
Be prepared for converting 20,000 coaches into isolation wards, Railway Board wrote to zonal authorities on Monday in view of coronavirus outbreak.
Indian Railways is in talks with Armed Forces Medical Services, Ayushman Bharat on setting up isolation wards in coaches to treat Covid-19 patients.
The Railway Board said 5,000 coaches will initially be converted into isolation wards for Covid-19 patients and that five zonal railways have prepared prototypes.
On Monday, a news agency quoted a railway official as saying three production units belonging to Southern Railways have been assigned the task of converting one train coach as an isolation ward for coronavirus patients.
According to the official, Perambur Loco Works, Perambur Carriage Works both located here and the Golden Rock Workshop in Trichy will be converting one coach each as prototype for Coronavirus ward.
Further plans for converting coaches as medical ward will be taken based on the instructions from the Indian Railway Board, an official not wanting to be quoted told IANS.
According to the official, the work has begun and is expected to be completed by Thursday.
The modifications include converting the Indian style toilets into a bathing room with hand shower, bucket, mug, soap and liquid dispenser.
All the middle berths in the coaches and the ladders to climb on to middle and upper berths would be removed for easier movement.
The official said there will be extra bottle holder and there will be 230V sockets in each cabin.
There will be plastic curtain for each cabin as a measure of isolation.
Northern Railway has converted 16 passenger coaches into isolation wards as part of the efforts to strengthen healthcare amid the novel coronavirus scare, IANS reported.
Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said: "In its continuous effort to fight against COVID-19, all NR workshops have been geared up. Till now, 16 LHB coaches have been converted to function as isolation wards for suspected cornavirus patients. Two rakes, i.e. 20 LHB converted isolation non-AC coaches, will be ready by March 31 evening."
He said that by Tuesday two ICF coaches available at Alambagh workshop will be converted into isolation coach. He said one rake of 10 coaches will be converted into isolation facility within a week."Northern Railway is in touch with respective state governments for better co-ordination in our fight against coronavirus," he said.
On Saturday, the Northern Railway has successfully made the first prototype of hospital isolation coach for COVID-19 patients.
"After clearance when the prototype will be finalized, 10 railway coaches per week will be converted into isolation wards for Covid-19 patients by each Zonal Railway and the same shall be placed all across India to fight against COVID -19," a press release from the Northern Railway said.