Covid-19 – Lead by Example from the Front!

Most quixotic and paradoxical is the decision of the Home Minister-Delhi Chief Minister to make available converted railway coaches as “Make-shift” isolation wards for COVID-19 patients to meet the likely estimates of patients requiring Medicare

 

Perplexing is their decision as if converted railway coaches are can be used at optimum costs to provide requisite infrastructure facility to patients. Commonsense dictates that railway coaches cannot provide adequate space to manage a patient suffering from Covid-19 disease. For the facility must provide space for carrying the patient on a stretcher inside the compartment to his bed-side besides space for a ventilator and gas cylinder besides other medical devices.

 

Most important, the environment inside a non-AC coach during high-humid state, surely., would not be conducive to speedy recovery of patients. If any, they would only further aggravate the medical condition of patients. What about the space required for team of doctors, nurses and para medical staff to attend to a critical patient inside the cubicle in case of emergency?

  

 

Furthermore, diagnostic and dispensary facilities on board the coaches and also resting place for the doctors, nurses and para medical staff? As per Railways data initially, they had converted 2,500 coaches for creating 40,000 beds. It works out to 16 beds per 3-tier coach.

 

Diverting 2,500 coaches means that the railways would not be in a position to run nearly 100 trains at the rate of 20 rakes to a train thereby offsetting the commuters poor man’s conveyance facility. If so, 70 coaches allotted to the State of UP means a total of 1,120 beds, which is quite meager. Supposing 1000 coaches are allotted to the State of Delhi will mean creation of 12,000 beds facility only.

 

Piyush Goyal, the Railway Minister, in his over exuberance offered coaches ab initio as “make Shift Isolation Facility”. However, as a former financial expert, he should have analyzed the cost-effectiveness of such a proposal from the railways point of view and suggested optimum cost-effective alternatives available.

 

Are our “Wise Councils” at the Apex levels in Delhi are bereft of minimum intellectual wisdom to estimate the likely requirements by end June and July based on the data available in public domain? The latest political farce is deputing specialist teams to various states to review and assess the “bed requirements” and “Make-Shift Hospital” infrastructure for each adversely affected State. Naturally, they would take their own time to return to Delhi and submit their findings for consideration, which means delay of at least one more week when “Urgency” is the need of the hour.

 

If the decision making authority do not want to convert facilities in “Pragati Maidan” and other such convention halls and high-fly function halls with utmost expedition and also direct other States to do so, even many God’s cannot save the hundreds of poor lives. Every day delay means loss of precious lives. No need for phenomenal procrastination over decision making. It is war against Covid-19 pandemic.

 

High time for Modi to lead from the front by personally taking a tour of “Railway Coaches” and other facilities available that includes 5-Star hotels in Delhi accompanied by team of Doctors and give directions in situ for time bound creation of Medicare infrastructure to wage the war against COVID-19. No useful purpose is served by conduction video conferences with the Chief Ministers to demonstrate to the gullible people of India of his active leads.