Portable theatres become Covid-19 vaccination centres in Delhi

New Delhi, July 18

From entertaining hundreds as a travelling theatre to re-inventing itself as a coronavirus facility amid the intense second wave, the portable cinema hall has now been transformed into a vaccination centre for inoculating people against the infection.

The travelling theatre was established to take cinema to rural and interior parts of the country in 2015 and has since showcased different films.

Even though the cinema business was paralysed by the pandemic, these inflatable theatres on wheels resumed with all Covid-19 protocols.

The last film screened in these theatres was “Kaagaz” that was taken to the interiors of Uttar Pradesh this year, but as the pandemic situation worsened in the country, it was decided to convert these 150-seater theatres to Covid facilities.

The portable cinema company, Picturetime Digiplex, had converted its portable theatres to coronavirus field facilities in Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Uttar Pradesh during the second wave of coronavirus.

Since then, over 5,000 Covid-19 patients have been treated at the facility, said Sushil Chaudhary, founder and CEO of Picturetime Digiplex.

And now, as the vaccination drive picked up in the country, one of these mobile theatres in Delhi has been converted to a vaccination centre, he said.

Established in collaboration with Apollo hospitals, the vaccination centre since its operation on July 13 has inoculated 400 people till now, he added.

"While our field hospitals with oxygen bed facility continue to be put to good use in various states of the country, we thought why not transform our medical unit at Apollo Delhi into a full-fledged vaccination centre. I believe such is the power of portability and these rapid deployed medical enclosures that it could change its form and purpose as per the need of the hour. We are hoping to set up more of such vaccination centres as per requirement,” said Chaudhary.

— PTI