South Western Railway has placed railway coaches converted to function as COVID Care Centres at 14 railway stations in the railway zone.
The Railways converted the coaches to function as isolation wards to provide additional beds for COVID-19 patients as and when required. South Western Railway has converted a total of 320 coaches as COVID Care Centres.
A release said that these coaches will be used for medical cases suspected or confirmed and categorised into very mild and mild. Individual coaches for suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being ensured to avoid cross infection. As per standard operating procedure issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, each person will be assigned in individual cabins. If the situation warrants, up to two confirmed patients will be assigned a cabin, the release said.
These COVID Care Centres are kept ready in Bengaluru, Hubballi, Mysuru, Yesvantpur, Harihar, Shivamogga Town, Hosapete, Hassan, Arsikere, Bagalkot, Talaguppa, Vijayapura, Belagavi and Vasco-da-Gama in Goa.
South Western Railway has said that nodal officers would be designated in coordination with the State government for allocation of trains. The rakes would be stabled at the respective railway stations only on requisition of the State government and provision of necessary manpower. After the allocation by the Railways, the train shall be placed at these 14 stations with necessary infrastructure, and handed over to the Deputy Commissioners or designated officers, the release said.
South Western Railway has said that while it would provide provide necessary healthcare staff at Hubballi, Bengaluru, Mysuru and Yesvantpur railway stations, the manpower for other centres would be provided by the State governments.
