Covid19: Delhi govt to add 600 more ICU beds by month end

“A detailed plan has been drafted for adding more than 600 ICU beds in Covid hospitals under the Delhi government by July 31,” said the senior government official.

The Delhi government is set to add at least another 600 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in three Covid-dedicated hospitals by the end of this month as part of its healthcare augmentation plan, a senior government official said on Sunday.

A health worker conducts a coronavirus test, from the collected swab samples, at Turkman Gate, in New Delhi. (Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

“A detailed plan has been drafted for adding more than 600 ICU beds in Covid hospitals under the Delhi government by July 31,” said the senior government official.

As of Sunday, Delhi had 2,166 ICU beds in Covid dedicated hospitals — both private (115 hospitals) and government (11). Of the total ICU beds, at least 555 were in three Delhi government hospitals --- Lok Nayak Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.

“The capacity of ICU beds will be increased in these hospitals. Once the new beds are added, the total ICU beds in these three Delhi government hospitals will be more than 1,155,” the official said.

On June 8, Delhi hospitals – both private and government -- collectively offered a total of 582 ICU beds.

The numbers have more than tripled since then, as the government roped in more private hospitals for Covid management and increased ICU beds in existing hospitals.

Gagan D Bharti, manager of Charity Beds, a non-profit organisation that has been helping people in Delhi avail beds during the pandemic, said: “Delhi needs more ICU beds because only severe Covid cases are landing in the hospitals and a large number of them would potentially need ICU.”

Dr Puneet Misra, professor in the community medicines department of AIIMS-Delhi, said: “At this juncture, the government should focus on reducing the Covid-19 mortality rate. For that, supportive treatment is necessary. ICU counts as supportive treatment. But it is essential to ensure that there is adequate number of trained doctors and healthcare workers who work in the ICUs. Handling patients in ICUs need special training. In Delhi, there was always a shortage of ICUs. The augmentation should be permanent in nature not just to handle Covid. It should be extended for regular medical emergencies also.”