Indian Railways takes all the learning from its COVID relief work and creates a permanent multi-speciality hospital on rails

Indian Railways, under the leadership of Piyush Goyal, has been at the forefront of optimal utilisation of existing infrastructure to fight against COVID-19. It had previously turned many trains into safe isolation wards for Coronavirus patients during the pandemic and provided primary and secondary care to a large number of people who needed care. 

Learning from its experience during the pandemic, the Indian Railways have turned an entire train into a hospital. Named ‘Lifeline Express’, the entity is providing healthcare facilities to the people in rural areas where there is a lack of healthcare infrastructure. 

Lifeline Express is a result of the collaboration between Impact India Foundation (IIF), an NGO working in the field of healthcare, Indian Railways, which provides the coaches and runs the Railway hospital, and the Health Ministry. 

The Lifeline Express, the only hospital train in the world as per the Ministry of Railways, is currently stationed in Assam and serving the patients free of cost. 

“’The Lifeline Express’ train is presently stationed at the Badarpur stn in Lumding Div. of NFR in Assam serving patients free of cost The train is equipped with 2 modern operation theatres,5 operating tables & other facilities,” tweeted the Ministry of Railways. 

 Previously Indian Railways helped the government of India in the expansion of Ayushman Bharat Abhiyaan by empanelling its hospitals for Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna or Modicare. 

Around 125 railways hospitals, including certain specialised hospitals for cancer (Varanasi), heart diseases (Chennai), orthopaedics (Kolkata) and plastic surgery (Mumbai) were opened to the 50 crore beneficiaries based on the Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC).

 Indian Railways, the behemoth with 12,000 trains, 13 lakh employees, and 65,000 km tracks across the country, has thus emerged as one of the strongest links in the fight against Coronavirus diseases.

 Amid the lockdown, the Indian Railways have maintained the supply of essential goods, keeping the energy infrastructure alive through the supply of raw materials. The behemoth is also helping to fight COVID-19 by manufacturing face masks, hand sanitisers, and converting the coaches into isolation wards.

 The Railways has already converted 5,000 trains into isolation wards, supporting the nation dealing with COVID-19 with 40,000 beds. Given the fact that India’s strategy to fight against the pandemic initially revolved around “Isolation Isolation Isolation”, as announced by Indian Council of Medical Research chairman Dr Balram Bhargava, the country needed a large number of isolation wards and the Indian Railways surely extended their support to address the issue. 

Under the leadership of Piyush Goyal, Indian Railways have not only maintained the supply of essentials at a time when most of the transporters are off the road but have also prepared turned old trains into isolation wards to tackle coronavirus. The Railways have also manufactured lakhs of masks and thousands of litres of sanitisers. Moreover, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) – the catering arm of the behemoth, has also supplied food packets for millions of poor and stranded labourers.

The efforts of the Indian Railways reminds us about its importance in such critical times. With innovative ideas to serve the people and help the government, it has surely saved thousands of lives.