Kolkata: The South Eastern Railway is converting a few coaches into isolation wards and readying blocks in its hospitals for treatment and quarantine facilities in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said here on Friday. Some of the passenger coaches, which are lying idle at yards since stoppage of train services from Sunday, are being turned into isolation wards with required amenities for patients, doctors and care givers, SER spokesman Sanjay Ghosh said. "The coaches will be provided as and when required at places asked for by the concerned state government," he said. At all SER hospitals, including the Central Hospital at its headquarters at Garden Reach here, isolation wards for treatment of COVID-19 patients have been set up, he said. There are 100 beds set aside for isolation facilities at the SER hospitals, which are being considerably increased to cater to any emergency situation, Ghosh said. "We are now readying separate blocks at all divisional hospitals, apart from the Central Hospital here, for the purpose of treating and quarantining patients if any such need arises," the official said. Isolation blocks are under preparation at Garden Reach Central Hospital and Ranchi, Kharagpur, Adra and Chakradharpur divisional hospitals. An Eastern Railway source said that isolation units are in place at its central hospital and divisional hospitals. He said that setting up such wards in railway coaches will be of immense help to the people of West Bengal, if such need arises.

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