Delhi registered 1,320 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total to 27,654.
New Delhi:
The Delhi Medical Association hit chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday after warning hospitals of severe action if they refused COVID-19 patients or engaged in “black marketing” of beds amid growing concern faced with an increase in coronavirus cases in the capital.
“The Delhi Medical Association strongly condemns the way Delhi CM (Prime Minister) warns doctors and threatens hospitals with COVID-19 admissions and patient tests,” the body said in a statement.
“The doctors who have tirelessly served the people of Delhi for two months in this life-threatening pandemic crisis feel insulted by the way they are being treated,” he added.
“Hospitals are the backbone of health care and serve COVID and non-COVID patients. They are penalized and the government, instead of praising their efforts, publishes new dictates daily,” the statement said.
The medical profession also condemned the police file filed against the authorities of Sir Ganga Ram hospital, a leading private establishment which was accused of having broken the rules for recording coronavirus tests.
“The doctors in Delhi are already overworked and overworked in this hour of pandemic crisis and the state government is putting unnecessary pressure on health systems,” said the statement, demanding the support of its 15,000 members.
The medical community demanded a coordinating committee for health professionals and the Delhi government, adequate testing facilities, smoother patient transfers and cremations, and designated authorities to coordinate COVID-19 care.
The strong response from the medical profession came as Delhi recorded 1,320 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total to 27,654, including 761 deaths, with several complaints from patients being denied admission in recent days and reporting that medical centers in the capital were overwhelmed.
Addressing an online media outlet as patients are turned away from hospitals, Kejriwal said the Delhi government would delegate health professionals to each private hospital to ensure patients know the beds available and that they are admitted hassle free.
“The false refusal cannot be tolerated and the admission of patients with coronavirus is not negotiable … There are private hospitals which resort to such means. First, they say that they have no no bed and when patients insist, they demand a huge amount. ‘Isn’t that the black marketing of beds? “said Mr. Kejriwal.
