Railways turns coaches into isolation wards!

New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi instructed the Indian Railways to convert train coaches into isolation wards and ICUs to ensure healthcare access in remote areas in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the layout and design for the required modifications has been prepared.

Railway officials said they have converted a coach stationed at the New Delhi depot into an isolation ward for Covid-19 patients after consulting medics as preparation of larger medical crisis. Moreover, the Railways is ready to create three lakh patient care beds, if need arises in future.

North Central Railway (NCR) General Manager Rajiv Chaudhary, said: "A sleeper coach of a train is being converted and improvised into isolation wards for patients suffering from Covid-19. Such a plan can help us be well-prepared to meet any emergency."

Besides, all Railway divisions have identified a ward or building for setting up isolation beds for Covid-19 patients.

Likewise, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is working out a plan to serve meals in different parts of the country and hospitals if the need arises.

Some of the modifications that will be needed to turn the coaches into wards include removing the side partition next to the main door on each end, converting one Indian toilet on each side into a bathing room, removing middle berths, etc.

The way to convert toilets into bathing rooms would be "by placing wooden batten structure on the entire floor, which also covers the squatting pan".

"A hand shower is to be provided and it is to be equipped with bucket, mug and soap dish also," the orders state.

Among other modifications will be removing all ladders for climbing up to the middle and upper berths, using extra bottle holders for holding medical equipment, making functional all-charging points for laptops and mobiles, providing 230 V sockets in each cabin, and providing plastic curtains in each cabin to ensure isolation.