Delhi High Court allows two hotels to be used as Covid facilities

The hotels -- Crowne Plaza, Okhla and Hotel Surya, New Friends Colony — had moved court against the Delhi government’s decision to convert them into hospitals.

The Delhi High Court on Monday allowed the Delhi government to attach two city hotels as extended Covid-19 facilities after a two-doctor court-appointed committee said it was possible to use them as Covid care centres for asymptomatic patients or those with mild symptoms.

A man makes a bed in the hall at Shehnai Banquet opposite Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital which has been requisitioned for use as a facility for coronavirus patients in New Delhi. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

The court had on June 11 formed a committee comprising AIIMS director Randeep Guleria and Niti Aayog member VK Paul to submit a report on the feasibility of using the hotels as extended Covid facilities.

The hotels -- Crowne Plaza, Okhla and Hotel Surya, New Friends Colony — had moved court against the Delhi government’s decision to convert them into hospitals.

The committee in its report submitted on Monday said even though the hotels have not been designed as hospitals and the guest rooms do not have oxygen supply, patient monitoring devices, etc, they have banquet halls, which can be appropriately equipped and converted into dedicated Covid health centres, if need arises, on account of an acute shortage of hospital beds in the capital.

Justice Navin Chawla allowed the government to use the hotels after additional solicitor general Sanjay Jain, additional standing counsel of the Delhi government advocate Gautam Narayan and the petitioners agreed with the findings of the report.

The report said medical care must be provided to Covid patients in these hotels by the attached hospitals in line with the requirement as these are primarily to be used as Covid care centres for asymptomatic (with no facility of home quarantine) patients and mild cases. Crowne Plaza is attached with Batra hospital and Hotel Surya with Apollo.

“The triage and initial evaluation for all patients being admitted to these hotels should be done at the attached hospital and the responsibility of clinical care of all patients admitted in these hotels shall rest with the hospital. A telephonic assessment of all admitted patients’ general status should be done at least once in 12 hours and physically once daily,” the report said.

The committee recommended a slew of steps for the hospitals that would be attached with the hotels, including training of hotel staff in infection-control practice, including donning and doffing, a process of removal and disposal of contaminated PPE kits. It said the hospital should ensure availability of hydroxychloroquine and adequate PPE for all its health care workers and hotel staff.

The report said the hotels should actively support the hospital and deploy their medically and physically fit staff for patient care activities after training by the attached hospital. It said the Delhi government should identify nodal officials as a single point contact for these hotels and the attached hospitals to facilitate any requirement such as additional manpower, outsourcing of services, help in arranging common provisions, etc.

The committee did not make any recommendations on the concerns of the hotels such as loss of business, their financial condition, non-functional support systems and non-availability of manpower and left it to the Delhi government to examine.

The court asked the hotels to give a representation to the Delhi government on the unaddressed grievances and posted the matter for July 29.

The counsels of both hotels refused to comment, stating that the matter was subjudice.

The Delhi government had on May 29 ordered five hotels to be used as Covid facilities to meet the requirement for beds in view of the spike in coronavirus cases.

The hotels are Crowne Plaza (attached with Batra Hospital; Hotel Surya (Apollo ); Hotel Siddharth (B L Kapur Memorial Hospital); Hotel Jivitesh (Sir Gangaram Hospital); Sheraton Saket (Max Super Speciality Hospital).