Govt pledges to add 2,900 hospital beds

The Delhi government plans to add 2,900 hospital beds with the construction of six hospitals with 200 beds, one with 100 beds and a hospital-cum-medical college with 750 beds, besides expanding capacities of existing health care facilities. HT reports.

The Delhi government plans to add 2,900 hospital beds with the construction of six hospitals with 200 beds, one with 100 beds and a hospital-cum-medical college with 750 beds, besides expanding capacities of existing health care facilities.

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The Sheila Dikshit government claims that it has been able to increase the bed-population ratio in Delhi from 2.25 in 2004 to 2.55 in 2011. The government is hoping to increase this ratio to 3 beds per 1,000 people this year.

Chief minister Dikshit on Monday proposed to spend Rs 2,124 crore on the health care sector. This is 14.16% of the total plan outlay, up from 12.8% in 2011-12. One vaccine for newborns with potency to fight diphtheria, pertusis, tetanus (DPT), Hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza type B will be introduced by the government this fiscal. The pentavalent vaccine can protect against other ailments as well, including pneumonia, meningitis and ear infections.

The decision has given paediatricians who had been pushing for the five-in-one vaccine in the state programme a reason to smile. The vaccine is expected to not just reduce the number of pricks for children, but also go a long way in bringing down death rates among children under the age of three.

The government has also taken steps to ensure people living with HIV/AIDS are able to have a balanced diet to cope with their compromised immune system. A financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per month will be given to poverty-struck patients of HIV/AIDS for anti-retroviral treatment.

For general treatment, orphaned children infected with HIV/AIDS will be given Rs 2,050 per month, and others affected by HIV/AIDS Rs 1,750 per month. A budget provision of Rs 5 crore has been made for this purpose.