Coronavirus: 90% of Delhi residents have suggested hospitals for them, he said.
Hospitals run by the Delhi government and some private hospitals will be reserved only for residents of the nation’s capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today amid huge controversy over the availability of beds. At the same time, he said Delhi would unseal its borders, which were sealed in the first place “in the belief that our hospitals will be inundated with people from other states”.
“For now, we have decided that the 10,000 Delhi government beds will be kept for residents. The central government beds can be used by all. Private hospitals covering special treatment will be open to all,” said the Prime Minister. The borders, he added, will be open from tomorrow.
The number of coronavirus patients in the city has skyrocketed in the past week, recording a surge of more than a thousand patients every day. The total in the national capital has now exceeded 27,000.
The decision, said Kejriwal, was made on the advice of a special five-member medical committee. The committee estimated that by the end of June Delhi will need 15,000 beds. “They think the 9,000 beds currently with us will be taken care of in three days if we allow people from other states to enter,” Kejriwal said in a virtual press conference today. .
The Chief Minister had also asked for suggestions from the population after reports of the lack of hospital beds. Many others were turned away by hospitals, who said they were overwhelmed with patients. Kejriwal said today that 90% of residents have suggested that hospitals be set aside for them until the coronavirus crisis ends.
Following the controversy over the beds, the Delhi government had previously blamed the laboratories, saying they were testing asymptomatic patients and hospitals to admit them. Kejriwal also said that “marketing of hospital beds” was underway.
Delhi being hungry for income, Kejriwal announced in April that the city was “ready to lift the lockdown.” At the time, he also said that Delhi hospitals were ready to handle the spike in the cases that might arise.
The possible decision to reserve beds for citizens of Delhi has been criticized by Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
In an interview with GalacticGaming on Saturday, Naqvi said, “How can Delhi beds be reserved for Delhi residents? How can Mumbai beds be reserved only for Mumbaikars? Passport and visa for come to Delhi. People from all over the country are coming to the national capital for treatment. There should be no policy on this. There is a need for sensitivity. “
