Hyderabad: 60 train coaches to be turned into 'isolation wards'

Hyderabad: In wake of the surging Covid-19 cases and failing medical infrastructure, the South Central Railway (SCR) is all set to provide isolation coaches with a good number of beds for Covid-19 patients. These 'Covid Care Coaches' could be made operational in the State, as the medical facilities are slowly getting exhausted.

These coaches have been designed by health experts and doctors and are equipped with essential medicines and necessary nursing staff, and oxygen cylinders. "If Telangana State sees the problem of bed crunch in hospitals amid the rising Covid-19 cases, the SCR will very likely install isolation coaches at Secunderabad, Kacheguda, and Adilabad railway stations," said an official from SCR on the condition of anonymity.

Recently, the SCR as a contingency measure from the virus converted a total of 160 coaches into isolation facilities for the Covid-19 patients.

Moreover, several converted railway coaches are available with the Indian Railways, as the second wave of Covid-19 is spreading in several parts of the country.

"Indian Railways is ready to help the Telangana government, at present, several converted railway coaches are available with the Railways in its 16 zones and the SCR has 60 isolation coaches with 1,000 beds. All these would be made operational for the State government on request," said a senior official from the South Central Railway.

In order to provide comfort to the Covid-19 patients the SCR has installed coolers and mosquito nets as well. "The admission of patients in these coaches would begin ones the State government's medical facility is exhausted," the official added.

Meanwhile, Gandhi Hospital, State-run largest government Covid-19 facility has no bed left, as all the 619 beds in the hospital are occupied.

General Secretary of the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations, BT Srinivasan also opined that there is a high demand for hospital beds in every State. It stated that in Telangana as well these isolation coaches would be a great relief.

The Indian Railways recently started operating twenty isolation coaches of over 300 beds for Covid-19 patients at the Bhopal railway station.