Trains turned into wards... Over 3000 coaches modified for covid patients

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, 6 April 2020, Siliguri:  The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has modified a 315 train coaches to treat suspected Covid-19 patients.

Train coaches would be kept in different stations across the five divisions of the NFR zone, said senior officials of the NFR.

"Three-tier coaches have been modified into special coaches to tackle the corona emergency. The middle berths of every coach has been removed for convenience. Every coach will have nine beds. The windows have been covered by nets to prevent mosquitoes and other insects. There will be electrical charging points for laptops and cell phones and ample space for movement of doctors and paramedics. The coaches will have a washroom and separate toilets," said the official.

Under the NFR, there air five divisions headquartered at Tinsukia, Rangia and Lumding in Assam, Alipurduar in Bengal and Katihar in Bihar.

"Such coaches have been prepaird across all the zones across the country undersupervision of the general managers and medical professionals of the Indian Railways. In due course, the railway board will decide where the coaches would be placed as per the requirement. Those can be hauled to any station or location, if the facility is required for patients." said S.Chanda, the chief public relation officer of the NFR.

Sources mentioned that the Indian Railways has 125 hospitals across the country and among those around 70 facilities have been identified to handle any emergency arising out of the corona infection. "In total, there are around 6,500 beds in these hospitals," said a source.