The first batch of 59 suspected Covid-19 patients was last week admitted in Uttar Pradesh to train coaches converted into isolation wards to deal with the pandemic, the railway ministry said on Monday.
The railways modified 5,231 coaches and converted them into isolation wards two months back for deployment across the country to boost health infrastructure . They had since remained unoccupied.
The Centre has deployed 960 such isolation wards in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Over half of the coaches (503) have been pressed into service in the national capital, one of the worst-hit places by the pandemic in the country, followed by Uttar Pradesh (372).
Forty-two suspected patients were admitted to the isolation coaches deployed at Mau Junction in Uttar Pradesh on June 20 followed by 17 on Sunday. Eight of these patients have been discharged, the railway ministry said.
The railways has handed over the isolation coaches to the chief medical officers of the concerned states and they are supposed to deploy doctors and paramedics for them as per the Union health ministry’s procedures. It has said it will deploy two liaison officers for each location to assist the state governments.
The isolation coaches can be used for patients with mild symptoms and in areas where states have “exhausted the facilities” and need to augment capacities for isolation of both suspected and confirmed cases, according to the railways.
{{/usCountry}}The isolation coaches can be used for patients with mild symptoms and in areas where states have “exhausted the facilities” and need to augment capacities for isolation of both suspected and confirmed cases, according to the railways.
{{/usCountry}}The first Covid-19 coaches with 160 beds were deployed at Delhi’s Shakur Basti railway station on May 31.
The 372 Covid-19 coaches in Uttar Pradesh have been deployed at 23 locations, including Lucknow, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Faizabad, and Saharanpur.