NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, MAY 3
The Ahmedabad division of the Western Railway has set up 19 isolation coaches with 304 beds here in Gujarat amid the shortage of beds in hospitals given the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Thirteen of these coaches, equipped with required medical facilities, including oxygen cylinders, have been stationed at the city’s Sabarmati railway station, while six coaches are parked at Chandlodiya railway station, it said on Monday.
The WR said local authorities had requested for using these coaches as isolation facilities for COVID-19 patients.
The local administration will make arrangements for refilling the oxygen cylinders and make available medical teams and equipment for the treatment of patients, the WR said in a release.
“The number of such coaches will be increased as per requirement. Each coach contains eight wards in which 16 patients can be accommodated. Two oxygen cylinders have been provided in each coach,” the WR said.
As of Sunday, 9,337 of the 9,528 beds in hospitals in Ahmedabad remained occupied. Only 191 ICU and oxygen beds were vacant in government and private hospitals, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had said.
There are only 78 ICU and oxygen beds in 172 private hospitals requisitioned by the AMC for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, besides 70 beds in 216 nursing homes, and 43 beds in the civil hospital,it said.
As of Monday, Ahmedabad city has 67,123 active cases, the civic body said.
