The Delhi government on Wednesday linked hotels, banquet halls, and other buildings with hospitals, which will add 3,269 beds for COVID-19 treatment, as per official orders.
The government had taken a similar step last year when the city was witnessing another surge in cases.
The number of beds for COVID-19 treatment in Delhi government-run hospitals was also increased by 718, as per another order. Also, 28 ICU beds with ventilators and 187 ICU beds without ventilators were added.
Banquet halls and other buildings were linked with five Delhi government hospitals, which will add a total of 875 beds.
Hotels and banquet halls were linked with 23 private hospitals, converting them into “extended COVID hospitals”. This will add 2,394 beds for COVID-19 treatment in two phases.
The Delhi government on Wednesday also revised an earlier order — which had declared 14 private hospitals as dedicated COVID-19 facilities — and allowed these hospitals to also treat non-COVID-19 patients.
On Monday, all 4,337 beds in these 14 hospitals were reserved for COVID-19 treatment, but on Wednesday it was reduced to 3,553, as per an official order.
These hospitals have also been allowed to temporarily increase their capacity by 35% and additional beds can be used for non-COVID-19 treatment, the order said.
The government revised Monday's order after the hospitals made representations to the Health Minister.
Many of the 14 hospitals were requesting the government to allow non-COVID emergency treatment.
“These 14 hospitals are super speciality hospitals who cater to a large number of non-COVID patients. The government should convert more secondary care hospitals and nursing homes into dedicated COVID facilities, instead of super speciality hospitals,” Girdhar Gyani, director general of the Association of Healthcare Providers (India) had said.
