Delhi urges railways to arrange Covid-care coaches having 5000 beds at 2 station

These railway coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to COVID care centres. (Photo: ANI)Premium
These railway coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to COVID care centres. (Photo: ANI)
 2 min read . Updated: 18 Apr 2021, 04:30 PM IST Staff Writer

The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has urged the Indian Railways to arrange up to 5,000 beds by deploying COVID-care coaches at the Shakur Basti and the Anand Vihar stations amid a rising number of covid-19 cases in the national capital

NEW DELHI : The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi has urged the Indian Railways to arrange up to 5,000 beds by deploying COVID-care coaches at the Shakur Basti and the Anand Vihar stations amid a rising number of covid-19 cases in the national capital

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the situation in national capital is worsening every moment as less than 100 ICU beds are vacant in city hospitals.

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The national capital has rep[orted over 25,000 new coronavirus cases and the positivity rate has increased to nearly 30% in the past 24 hours, the Delhi chief minister added.

Delhi chief secretary Vijay Kumar Dev, In a letter to Railway Board chief Suneet Sharma, said there has been a tremendous increase in coronavirus cases in the national capital in recent past, resulting in high number of serious cases requiring treatment in hospitals.

"In the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, as of now, the facilities at government and private hospitals available are getting strained and there is an urgent need for more number of Covid bed facilities to cope up with the ever-increasing demand of COVID-19 patients who require admissions in hospitals," he said.

"I therefore, request you to kindly arrange COVID bed facilities at the Anand Vihar and the Shakur Basti railway stations with full logistical support, requisite medical and paramedical staff and oxygen facilities etc. on an emergent basis," the Delhi chief secretary said.

Further, it would be grateful if the railways identifies more such facilities "up to a level of 5,000 beds, as was done last year, so as to meet the huge demand of beds arising out of an ever increasing surge in positive cases this time in the NCT of Delhi," he said in the letter dated April 17.

According to the union health ministry guidelines, the responsibility of maintaining the coaches will be shared by the railways and the state government.

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These railway coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to .

Last year, the railways had deployed 813 coaches with 12,472 beds in July -- Delhi (503), Uttar Pradesh (270) and Bihar (40)

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