Coronavirus Outbreak: Indian Railways Extends Medical Services To All Central Govt Employees

Indian Railways has extended services of all its hospitals and dispensaries to all central government employees and their families in view of the spread of coronavirus, a Railway Board order said. The services include those of all 128 hospitals and 586 dispensaries of the Indian Railways all over the country.

"In view of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Railways has decided that the services of railway hospitals and health units across the country would be available for use by all Central government employees, on showing their identity cards, at railway hospitals and health Units," the order stated.

As of now the facilities could be availed by present and retired railway staffers only.

Meanwhile, thirteen lakh employees of the Indian Railways will donate their one day's salary to PM-CARES emergency situation relief fund to fight COVID-19. A day's salary of all 13 employees is amounting Rs Rs 151 crore. In addition to that, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, MoS Suresh Angadi will also donate one month's salary to the fund to fight the pandemic.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced setting up of the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES) to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. A number of union ministers, private entities, industrialists and government organisations have responded to the prime minister's announcement and contributed to the fund. So far, India has recorded a total of 979 positive cases of coronavirus and 25 deaths.