Delhi govt plans to increase hospital beds to 20,000 by June 20

Meanwhile, the Delhi government issued directions to ramp up Delhi’s hospital bed capacity by 20,000 by June 20.

Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday, inspected a religious group’s centre in Chhatarpur that is likely to become the Capital’s biggest makeshift hospital with an estimated 10,000 beds even as the Delhi government announced that it has made plans for 20,000 additional Covid-19 beds in the city by June 20.

Medical workers speak with family members of people admitted with coronavirus infections, outside the Covid-19 ward at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital in New Delhi. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

District administration officials said they expect the facility to be ready for patients by the end of the month.

“The visit was necessary to check if the place can accommodate the estimated infrastructure requirements in the light of increasing Covid-19 cases. The district administration has conducted a feasibility study. I came here for a review. More details will be shared in the days to come,” said Baijal, at the Radhasoami Satsang Beas facility near Bhatti village in Chhatarpur.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government issued directions to ramp up Delhi’s hospital bed capacity by 20,000 by June 20. Of these, 4,000 beds are to be arranged in hotels taken over by the government, 5,000 in nursing homes and 11,000 in banquet halls.

There is no change in the plan for the 5,000 beds in nursing homes, even after a recent government order regarding the use of smaller nursing homes (with fewer than 50 beds) was withdrawn on Sunday.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, earlier this week, said Delhi would need 150,000 Covid-19 beds by July 31, factoring in outstation patients who may travel to the city for treatment.

Baijal, on Sunday, reached the Satsang Beas around 1 pm, after attending a meeting chaired by Union home minister Amit Shah. Hours after the field inspection, Baijal joined another meeting chaired by Shah.

Both meetings were also attended by Union health minister Harsh Vardhan, Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia.

BIGGEST MAKESHIFT HOSPITAL

The shed in the spiritual organisation’s Chhatarpur branch measures around 11.90 lakh square feet, which can accommodate 10,000 beds if the space is used optimally, said sub-divisional magistrate (Mehrauli) Sonalika Jiwani. She said the shed will be divided into 200 enclosures, comprising 50 beds each.

“We expect patients to start getting admitted in this facility in another 15 days,” Jiwani said.

A senior government official who asked not to be named said, “It is the first such experiment in Delhi. Cities like Mumbai have also used sports complexes but those have been turned into quarantine facilities. No other city so far has any hospital of such capacity.”

At the site on Sunday, HT spotted workers using canvas and vinyl fabric sheets to build enclosures, and arranging polyvinyl floor coverings.

The shed does not have a concrete floor , so the polyvinyl covering is necessary to enable periodic sanitation.

A combination of coolers and fans will be used to ensure appropriate temperature and relative humidity in the facility, said a second government official familiar with the government’s site feasibility study.

The facility has two toilets, and more temporary ones are likely to be set up in a week or so, the official said.

But a major challenge is a shortage of medical staff in the Capital.

The senior government official quoted above who asked not to be named said the makeshift hospital in Chhatarpur will operate in two shifts, with each needing at least 200 doctors and 400 nurses and paramedics when operating at full capacity.

“We are trying to work out a strategy for that along with the health department,” the official said.

The central government has classified Covid-19 facilities into three categories – Covid care centres, dedicated health centres and dedicated Covid hospitals. The first two are meant for mild to moderate category patients, and hospitals are for those who need specialised support such as ICUs and ventilators.

The makeshift hospitals at banquet halls and stadiums – including the one planned in Chhatarpur – are supposed to accommodate mild and moderate category patients with comorbidities who need‘round the clock supervision and cannot be isolated at home. So, they are not likely to have ICU and ventilator facilities, said a senior official in the health department who asked not to be named.

Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the community medicines department in Safdarjung Hospital, emphasised the necessity to have trained manpower. “The Army and the ITBP had earlier set up such quarantine centres. If it is a hospital, proper strategy is needed to cover the management of patient movements, healthcare worker movements, toilets, changing rooms, equipment stores, etc. The government should get trained manpower for help.”