The Railways Ministry on Monday informed that it has provisioned nearly 64,000 COVID care beds in around 4,000 coaches across the country and so far, 2,670 units have already been deployed at nine Railway stations.
In an official release, the Indian Railway said that it has been “swiftly meeting the demands made by the states and the Union Territories (UTs)” for the facility of COVID care coaches”.
“As per currently available data, these facilities are seeing a steady intake registering a cumulative admission of 81 COVID patients and subsequent discharges of 22 patients. None of the facilities have registered any casualties,” it said.
The updated position of the utility of these coaches positioned at the nine major stations in the States and UTs of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
In Delhi, the Railway has catered to the full demand of the UT Government for 75 COVID care coaches with a capacity of 1,200 beds. “Fifty coaches are positioned at Shakurbasti and 25 coaches at Anand Vihar stations. Presently, 5 patients were admitted at Shakurbasti and one patient discharged.” the Ministry said, adding that during the first wave last year (2020), 857 patients were admitted and discharged at Shakurbasti facility.
In Bhopal, the Railway has deployed “20 Isolation Coaches” with a capacity of 292 beds, as the patients were admitted and are presently using the facility, it said, adding that at Nandrubar in Maharashtra, “24 isolation coaches with a capacity of 292 beds have been deployed. This facility has registered 73 admissions till date. Of the 55 patients’ admissions in the current COVID spell, seven patients have been discharged while four new admissions were recorded during the day. The Unit has 326 beds still available for Covid patients.
In UP, though coaches have not yet been requisitioned by State government, 10 coaches each are placed at Faizabad, Bhadohi, Varanasi, Bareli and Nazibabad with a total capacity of 800 beds in 50 coaches, it added.