MUMBAI: Facing a severe shortage of Covid-19 beds, several districts have sought help from the Railways to get rail coaches that have been converted to isolation wards.
Following a railway board directive in March 2020,
Central Railway had set up 482 Covid care coaches at a cost of Rs 3.8 crore and Western Railway had transformed 410 coaches for a little over Rs 2 crore for use by the state government in case of an emergency. Both CR and WR gradually began reconverting these into normal coaches as the Covid threat abated and more passenger trains began running. But the recent surge in cases has loaded the health infrastructure, and the railways’ isolation coaches could prove useful. “We have 128 coaches for Mumbai division of the total 326 across our zones,” WR’s chief PRO Sumit Thakur said.
Tribal dominated Nandurbar is the first district to get the coaches. The district, which has almost run out of
Covid beds, has 24,810 cases with 7,338 patients under treatment. A total of 21 coaches have been made available. As per the agreed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) with the state government, air coolers will be provided in the coaches. Also, the roof of the coaches will be covered with grass cooling pads. However, senior district officials said with temperatures rising, these rail coaches will not be usable as they are non-AC. “We are adding more beds in the district and converting schools and hostels into Covid centres,” said an official.
On the CR, 25 isolation coaches have been set aside in Mumbai division. Currently, nearly 70% of the isolation beds, 75% of ICU beds and 40% oxygen beds are occupied in the state. Even the Central team which visited the state to review Covid management has stated in its report that many districts were facing a shortage of medical infrastructure, including beds.
In the modified
Covid-care coaches, the two middle berths have been removed in each cabin and one Indian-style toilet has been converted into a bathroom. All coaches have the necessary medical equipment such as oxygen cylinders, blankets, medical supplies and sterilised berths. More than 5,000 Covid care coaches with up to 80,000 beds—16 beds in each coach—had been made available by the
Indian Railways for use by the state governments for mild Covid cases, but they did not find many takers till date, except in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to the railway board.