Review order reserving 80% ICU beds in private hospitals for Covid-19: High court tells Delhi government

The court asked the government to review the order and file its stand by December 14 while posting the matter for further hearing on December 15

The Delhi high court on Wednesday asked the Delhi government to review its order of reserving 80 % ICU beds in 33 private hospitals of the city for Covid-19.

A file photo of Delhi high court in New Delhi.

Justice Navin Chawla turned down the request of the Delhi government’s additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose, who had sought that the matter be listed after 10 days for better review of the situation. He told the court that the government would review the order in a meeting scheduled for December 17 and hence, the matter be listed after that.

However, the court asked the government to review the order and file its stand by December 14 while posting the matter for further hearing on December 15.

Through an order on September 12, the Delhi government had asked 33 private hospitals in the city to reserve 80% ICU beds for Covid-19 patients. This order was stayed by the high court on September 22 on a petition by the Association of Healthcare Providers.

On November 12, a division bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad had vacated the stay considering the increase in the number of cases in the city.

On Wednesday, additional standing counsel Sanjoy Ghose told the court that a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the health minister on December 7 to review the current situation of Covid-19 in Delhi. Ghose said that the order to reserve 80% ICU beds in 33 hospitals would be reviewed on December 17.