Delhi govt orders 22 hospitals to add over 1,100 Covid beds

Almost 75% of all intensive care unit beds — with or without ventilators — were occupied as on Friday evening, according to the Delhi government’s Delhi Corona App, while over 48% of Covid-19 beds were occupied.

With a greater number of Covid-19 patients getting admitted in hospitals by the day, the government has ordered eight of its hospitals and 14 private hospitals to increase the number of beds earmarked for treatment of the infection. This will add over 1,100 beds to the existing 15,800 reserved for Covid-19 treatment across hospitals in Delhi.

A man gives a swab sample for coronavirus detection tests, at Nehru Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital in Defense Colony, New Delhi. (Biplov Bhuyan/HT PHOTO)

Almost 75% of all intensive care unit beds — with or without ventilators — were occupied as on Friday evening, according to the Delhi government’s Delhi Corona App, while over 48% of Covid-19 beds were occupied.

The move will add 500 beds in six Delhi government hospitals, of which 110 will be intensive care beds with machines for non-invasive ventilation, as per the order issued by special secretary (health) SM Ali.

“Delhi government has decided to augment the availability of beds for Covid patients in these Delhi government hospitals in addition to the already existing ones, this will be paramount in order to successfully combat the third wave,” Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain tweeted on Friday.

In a review meeting with the union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday, Jain had requested that centre increase the number of ICU beds in AIIMS and other central government-run hospitals in the city.

Rajiv Gandhi Super speciality hospital, which is already a 500-bed dedicated Covid treatment facility, will add 150 beds. Deen Dayal Upadhaya Hospital and Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, which were treating both Covid and non-Covid patients, will add 200 of the 500 beds.

The rest will be in three hospitals — Bhagwan Mahavir, Acharya Bhikshu, and Sanjay Gandhi — which were non Covid-19 hospitals will add another 150 of the 500 beds, according to the order.

These hospitals might have to stop or restrict some of the non-Covid-19 services in order to increase Covid-19 beds. “We already had 100 Covid-19 beds and will add another 100 now. However, to do so we will have to restrict our medicine clinics and cancel some elective surgeries. We usually run at 100% capacity and now we will have to empty out two to three wards for the additional beds,” said a senior doctor from Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital, on condition of anonymity. Two of the existing Covid-19 hospitals --- Burari and Deep Chand Bandhu – have been directed to increase 20 ICU beds each.

Apart from the Delhi government-run hospitals, an order has been issued to 14 private hospitals to earmark 50% of their total bed strength for Covid-19 care. This will add 685 beds to the total.

“It has been decided to allocate 50% of total bed capacity in 14 hospitals for the treatment of Covid-19. The MSs (medical superintendents) of these hospitals are directed to admit Covid-19 patients as per the revised allocation of beds and update the data on Delhi Corona app with immediate effect,” read the order by Dr RN Das, medical superintendent of nursing homes in Delhi.

The government had in September directed 33 big private hospitals in the city to reserve 80% of their ICU beds for the treatment of Covid-19. The order was scrapped by the high court and the Delhi government has now approached the Supreme Court on the matter.

“We are reviewing the order, but on the face of it, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong. As long as they do not reserve a high proportion of the ICU beds it should be okay. In its previous order, the government had asked 33 hospitals to reserve 80% of their ICU beds, essentially stopping these hospitals from providing critical and complex care for trauma, heart attack stroke, cancer, transplants etc. So we had to go to court. My only wish is that the government discuss with the private sector before issuing such orders,” said Girdhar Gyani, director general of Association of Healthcare Providers of India (APHI), which had filed the previous case.