The Ministry of Railways has assured all central-government employees that all railway hospitals across India will be available to provide them services during these difficult times. All the employees need to do is present their identity cards at the railway hospitals or health units to avail the medical services. The Ministry is also planning to convert about ten train coaches into isolation wards every week, to accommodate COVID-19 patients.
One coach has already been transformed into a ward at the Delhi division in consultation with the help of the workshop. If this prototype is approved, then improvements will be made as per feedback, and the design will be finalised. And soon, all the zones of the Railways will follow the same pattern.
The ward has been created by removing the middle berth from one side of the coach, and all three berths from the other side. The ladders used to access the upper berths have also been done away with. Alterations have been made to the toilet and aisle areas as well, to change the coach into an isolation ward.
The Indian Railways is also providing cooked food in bulk to those in need, along with paper platers. These food packs will be provided from the locations where the Railways has base kitchens.
This offer of help from the Railway Ministry comes as a relief at a time when the number of positive cases in India has jumped to over 970, and migrant labourers are also out on the roads in huge numbers, making their way on foot to the villages, without food and money.
The Railway Ministry will also donate Rs 151 crore to PM-CARES fund to help combat the pandemic.
