Prepared to handle surge in coronavirus patients, says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that Delhi was prepared to handle the surge in the number of corona patients with enough beds available in government and private hospitals.

Kejriwal said of 4,500 beds available in Covid-designated private and government-run health facilities, about 2,500 were still vacant. He, however, accepted that the situation may turn difficult if serious patients with severe symptoms start reaching the hospitals.

The chief minister also said that the government was developing a system through which people would immediately know the status of the availability of beds in various health facilities if a serious patient has to be taken to the hospital.

"The system would be ready in 2-3 days," Kejriwal said.

Addressing a digital press conference, the chief minister said that of 3,829 beds available in Covid-designated government hospitals, only 1,478 were currently occupied, while in private health facilities, 509 of 677 available beds had patients. He added that only 11 of 250 ventilators in government and 15 of 72 ventilators in private hospitals were currently being used by Covid-19 patients. About 3,314 patients with mild symptoms were being treated at homes.

"We are setting up 1,500 more beds with Oxygen facility at GTB Hospital in East Delhi. Also, we have asked 117 private hospitals to keep 20 per cent beds for Covid patients. Some people prefer to go to private hospitals. This will add another 2,000 beds in the system to treat those infected by the coronavirus," the chief minister said.

The Delhi government on Sunday asked all private hospitals with 50 or more beds to keep 20pc beds for Covid patients while allowing them to expand their intake capacity by 25 per cent if they had space available.

The BJP on Sunday had slammed Delhi government for not informing the public on health facilities available in the city to treat Corona patients.

Kejriwal also said that it was for the hospitals to arrange a bed in Covid-designated health facility if a patient got infected by the coronavirus and take him there in its ambulance. "A private hospital had asked a patient to look for a bed himself when he got infected with corona. We have served a show cause notice to that hospital as to why its licence should not be cancelled," the chief minister said.

Till yesterday, Delhi had recorded 13,418 Covid-19 patients of which 6,540 had been fired while 261 had died. Kejriwal said 6,617 patients were still active in Delhi.

"When the relaxation were given in the lockdown on May 17, there were 9,755 corona positive cases in Delhi. In one week, about 3,500 new cases reported while 2,500 even got cured," Kejriwal said.