KOLKATA: Eastern Railway, Sealdah division, on Monday introduced mobile Covid vaccination centres on tracks for inoculation and medical check-up of its employees and their families at far-off stations.
Aarogya, an air-conditioned EMU coach with separate compartments for patients waiting room, doctors' room, observation area, dressing room/minor OT with oxygen cylinder and basic resuscitative equipment, made its inaugural run from Sealdah to Ranaghat.
It will move independently in any direction to any railway station or shed within the jurisdiction of Sealdah Division, covering Kolkata, North 24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad.
"Rail Mobile COVID Vaccination Centre is introduced for the first time in Eastern Railway. SP Singh, Divisional Railway Manager, Eastern Railway, Sealdah flagged off Railway Mobile Health Unit 'Aarogya' and Mobile Covid Vaccination Centre at Sealdah station. Dr Rudrendu Bhattacharya, Chief Medical Director, Eastern Railway, Kolkata, was also present at the time of inauguration," said an official.
He reiterated that the state Health authorities have inspected the mobile health unit 'Aarogya' and given approval to run it as mobile Covid vaccination centre to wayside stations and for taking vaccine from the quota being supplied to B R Singh Hospital and vaccinating Railway beneficiaries (frontline workers, dependents of Railway employees aged more than 45 years and retired Railway employees).
It will move as an extension of B R Singh Hospital as Covid Vaccination Centre with extra vaccine vials to be supplied by Kolkata district of state government, which will be a maximum of 140 doses per trip.
All directives of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Government of India will be followed in the vaccination procedure scrupulously.