MBBS students, dentists allowed to assist doctors in Covid-19 duties
According to the order, Delhi government hospitals can now engage 4th and 5th-year MBBS students and dentists to assist doctors in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday gave orders for MBBS students and dentists to be allowed to assist in hospitals and Covid ICUs to meet manpower shortage amid coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
According to the order, Delhi government hospitals can now engage 4th and 5th-year MBBS students and dentists to assist doctors in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
Delhi has seen an alarming spike in cases in recent weeks, recording more new cases than any other state in the country.
The national capital recorded 6,746 new cases of Covid-19 and 121 fatalities on Sunday, pushing the death toll to 8,391, authorities said.
This is the fifth time in the last 11 days that the daily toll has crossed the 100-mark.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said the number of Covid-19 and ICU beds have been increased in the city hospitals to ramp up medical infrastructure in order to deal with the surge in Covid-19 cases.
“We have increased the number of beds in hospitals. As many as 17,292 Covid-19 beds available in Delhi out of which 7,700 beds are empty as of now. Intensive care unit (ICU) beds have also been increased by 400, more will be added in the days to come. Around 250 ICU beds will be increased in private hospitals too,” Jain said.
The AAP government had on November 19 directed private hospitals to increase the percentage of non-ICU Covid-19 beds from 50 to 60.
It had also ordered 42 private hospitals to reserve with immediate effect 80 per cent of their ICU beds for coronavirus patients.