HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, May 3: In order to prevent the spread of Covid-19, Northeast Frontier Railway is making an all-out effort to supplement the health care efforts of state governments.
The spectrum of steps includes modification of passenger coaches as isolation coaches, equipping the existing railway hospitals to meet the Covid-19 needs, etc.
The General Manager of NF Railway Anshul Gupta held a review meeting with all the divisional railway managers of NFR through video conferencing on Monday to review the availability of hospital beds and Covid care coaches for Covid positive patients.
In the fight against Covid-19, NFR has started treatment of Covid patients at the Railway Hospitals across its jurisdiction. The preparations are being done across all the divisions to meet the requirement of any possible exigency of keeping some corona patients as and when required by state governments.
NFR has kept ready special wards for treatment of Covid positive patients with a total of 253 beds at various railway hospitals which include- 15 beds at Katihar, 100 beds at Central Hospital, Maligaon (Guwahati), 80 beds at Lumding, 24 beds at New Bongaigaon Railway Hospital under Rangiya division and 34 beds at Dibrugarh Railway Hospital under Tinsukia division which may be further increased depending on requirement. Each of these special wards has all the basic healthcare facilities available for the treatment of Covid positive patients with mild symptoms, a press release stated.
NF Railway has kept Covid care coaches at various locations spreading various states for speedy deployment. 40 coaches have been kept in Katihar and Siliguri areas under Katihar division. 22 coaches have been kept in Alipurduar area under Alipurduar division. 51 coaches have been kept in different locations spread over Rangiya division.
As many as 124 Covid care coaches have been kept ready in different locations spreading over different states under Lumding division and 48 such Covid care coaches have been kept ready at different locations under Tinsukia division of NFR. Altogether 10 Covid care coaches have already been placed at Dimapur railway station in Nagaland and handed over to the state government for admitting Covid patients.