Dengue crisis: Delhi hospitals to divert one-third of beds reserved for Covid cases

"All the hospitals under the GNCT of Delhi may use one-third of the beds reserved for treating Covid patients, including ICU beds, for treating patients of vector-borne diseases like Dengue/Malaria/Chikungunya, if required," according to the government order on Saturday.

Amid a spike in cases of dengue in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government has allowed hospitals in the national capital to divert one-third of the beds reserved for Covid-19 patients to those who are infected with dengue and other vector-borne diseases.

Since the beginning of this year, Delhi has reported 1,000 cases of dengue. (HT file photo. Representative image)

"All the hospitals under the GNCT of Delhi may use one-third of the beds reserved for treating Covid patients, including ICU beds, for treating patients of vector-borne diseases like Dengue/Malaria/Chikungunya, if required," according to the government order on Saturday.

The order pointed out that many of the beds reserved for Covid-19 cases are lying vacant due to the decline in the number of infections.

According to news agency PTI, out of the 10,594 hospital beds for Covid-19 patients in all hospitals, only 164 are occupied.

Since the beginning of this year, Delhi has reported 1,000 cases of dengue. Of these, 280 were reported last week, according to the civic body's report this Monday. The first death was recorded on October 18.

Before this, the Delhi government reduced the 750 Covid-19 beds at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital to 450. Similarly, the beds at the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital were reduced from 600 to 350.

Hindustan Times reported on October 25 that doctors reported more than a 60 per cent surge in the number of dengue cases over the past month and said that due to this increase, the number of beds is filling up rapidly.

A shortage of beds has already been reported in Safdarjung Hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

However, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday that there are adequate arrangements for dengue patients in state-run hospitals, adding that no patients are being turned away.

"They are Centre-run hospitals. We have adequate arrangements for dengue patients in Delhi government hospitals. No patients are being turned away," Jain told reporters.

He added that a majority of patients in Delhi hospitals are from outside the national capital.

Meanwhile, the government on Wednesday began a massive fogging drive to check the spread of dengue in Delhi.