Bengaluru: SWR well-prepared to handle new Covid wave

Bengaluru: The South Western Railway (SWR), across the three divisions is geared up to take on the challenge of the new wave of Covid-19 and employees are striving 24x7 to keep the supply chain intact. Railway employees have made exemplary efforts in ensuring that the transportation of essential commodities have been carried out seamlessly ever since the onset of the pandemic.

The Covid care centres have been established at Hubballi, Bengaluru and Mysore. At Central Hospital (CH) Hubballi, Divisional Railway Hospitals (DRH) Bengaluru and Mysuru 100, 149 and 74 beds have been earmarked for treatment of Covid-19 patients. All the three hospitals are functioning round the clock and for suspected cases, RAT and RTPCR tests are being conducted. Medicines to the patients not requiring hospitalisation are also being dispensed at fever clinics. All the ICU beds have been equipped with ventilator support. As of now active cases are around 300 in South Western Railway. These not only include employees, but their family members, retired staff and their families too.

Arrangement of medical oxygen has been made at all the three hospitals which are equipped with 500 Ipm PSA Oxygen Generator Plants and beds are provided with piped oxygen supply. Further 2 tanks of 1 KL each at Divisional Railway Hospital, Bengaluru have been commissioned and one 5 KL tank at Central Railway Hospital, Hubballi will be commissioned by the end of January 2022. The supply contracts of oxygen re-filling of cylinders are in place. Adequate number of oxygen concentrators are also in place in these hospitals.

Besides radiographers, lab technicians and paramedical staff are being engaged on contract basis, as per additional requirement. Due training has been provided in the operation of ventilators, PSA Oxygen plants, Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Unit etc.

Around 99.5 9% of railway staff have been vaccinated with first dose and more than 97.04% employees of SWR have been vaccinated with second dose. Administering precaution dose to frontline workers is underway. Special care and attention have been bestowed by the railway administration to ensure that the frontline workers, crew and guard, maintenance staff are vaccinated and taken care of.

SWR General Manager Sanjeev Kishore informed that medical department of the zone headed by Dr Vilas Gunda is all geared up to tackle the present scenario. He further stated that railways is committed to ensuring the wheels of the nation going, for the convenience of common man, just as it had done during the earlier waves of Covid-19. He has appealed to all rail travellers to cooperate with railways by following Covid Appropriate Behaviour.