10,000 beds under sprawling tent: Delhi may get China-like makeshift hospital to fight virus

The planned COVID-19 facility will come up at the south Delhi campus of spiritual organisation Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

The Delhi government is planning a 10,000-bed makeshift hospital for COVID-19 patients under a sprawling tent in south Delhi to prepare for a projected surge in cases in the city.

Medical professionals wearing PPE coveralls attend a patient suspected of coronavirus infection, outside the Covid-19 ward, at Ganga Ram Hospital, in New Delhi, on Thursday, June 11, 2020. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

The planned COVID-19 facility will come up at the south Delhi campus of spiritual organisation Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

The lush green campus is located near the Delhi-Haryana border. The COVID-19 facility, which will be 1,700 feet long and 700 feet wide, will have 200 enclosures with 50 beds each, said Vikas Sethi, secretary of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Bhati Mines.

This makeshift hospital will be the largest such facility in the city so far. The work is expected to be completed by the end of June, he said.

The metal tent has lights and fans installed. Coolers will be needed considering the heat. The medical staff can also be accommodated in a building on the campus, he added.

The spiritual organisation gave its approval for the makeshift hospital two-three days ago.

According to the Delhi government’s estimates, coronavirus cases in the national capital are likely to breach the 5 lakh-mark by the end of July. Around one lakh beds will be needed for COVID-19 patients.

The city has a total 9,647 dedicated COVID-19 beds in state-run, central and private hospitals. Of these, 5,402 are occupied.

The Delhi government has also started the process to identify community halls and stadiums which can be converted into makeshift COVID-19 hospitals.