KARACHI: Pakistan Railways’ Karachi Division has taken a significant step to assist the administration for containing the fast spread of coronavirus pandemic by turning a passenger train into quarantine facility for COVID-19 patients, ARY News reported on Monday.
The officials of the PR Karachi Division sad a special train has been deployed as a quarantine facility to isolate patients infected with COVID-19. They said PR employees and workers could avail the medical facilities at the special train at Karachi’s Cantt Station.
The quarantine train comprises three air-conditioned sleepers and two business-class bogies having the capacity to put 36 patients in isolation under the proper observation of the physicians. The officials said the capacity of isolation rooms could be expanded as per requirement.
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Railway administration said the establishment of emergency isolation rooms is focused to provide facilities to the suspected COVID-19 patients where they will get treatment by PR medical staff for 24/7.
Sindh government has also been offered to get the benefit from the isolation rooms if it faces a shortage of quarantine places for the patients.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Railways suspended its operation for an indefinite period due to increasing number of coronavirus cases which was previously scheduled to be resumed from April 1.
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However, the railway minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed made the announcement on Monday (today) regarding the latest decision following the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
After the announcement, Sindh’s transport minister Owais Shah suggested Sheikh Rasheed to establish quarantine facilities at all railway stations by utilising the passenger trains post halting the nationwide operations.
Owais Shah said that the only solution in the current emergency situation is to turn passenger trains into isolation wards following the shortage of hospitals across the country. He urged the federal government to consider his suggestion to help citizens amid coronavirus crisis.
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