New Delhi, The India Railways has deployed 2,670 Covid Care beds at nine railway stations across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, an official statement said on Monday.
"Swiftly meeting the state governments' demand for the facility of Covid Care coaches during the current raging second spell of the Covid pandemic with its fleet of 4000 coaches (retrofitted as isolation units) with a capacity of 64,000 beds," the Railway Ministry statement said.
As per currently available data, these facilities are seeing a steady intake registering a cumulative admission of 81 Covid patients and subsequent discharge of 22 patients, it said.
In Delhi, the Railways said it has catered to the full demand of state government for 75 Covid Care coaches with a capacity of 1,200 beds, with 50 coaches positioned at Shakurbasti and 25 coaches at the Anand Vihar stations.
"Presently, five patients were admitted at Shakurbasti and one patient discharged. In the first Covid wave last year, 857 patients were admitted and discharged at Shakurbasti facility," the statement said.
In Bhopal, the Railway has deployed 20 isolation coaches with a capacity of 292 beds and three patients were admitted and are presently utilising the facility.
"In Nandrubar (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, 7 patients have been discharged. Four new admissions were recorded today. The Unit has 326 beds still available for Covid patients," the Ministry said.
In UP, though coaches have not yet been requisitioned by the state government, 10 coaches each are placed at Faizabad, Bhadohi, Varanasi, Bareilly, and Najibabad totalling to a capacity of 800 beds.