Satyendra Jain said Delhi would see around 56,000 cases in two weeks (File)
New Delhi:
A day after the Delhi government announced that public hospital beds would be reserved for city residents, city health minister Satyendra Jain defended the decision, saying the capital had seen more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus a day in the past few days and would need up to 17,000 beds in the next 15 days in the middle of a spike in infections.
“The people of Delhi therefore need space for treatment. In addition, neighboring states say they do not even have a case of coronavirus,” said the minister.
“If they don’t even say they have a virus, then what’s the problem?”
Arvind Kejriwal said Sunday that 10,000 beds under the Delhi government would be reserved for residents and that the beds under the central government could be used by all. In addition, private hospitals covering special treatments will be open to everyone.
Mr Jain was asked if the decision to block beds for Delhi virus patients was justified, given that thousands of people were coming from outside hospitals in the capital and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also traveled to other states for treatment.
Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi yesterday criticized the decision, saying, “How can Delhi beds be reserved for Delhi residents? How can Mumbai beds be reserved only for Mumbaikars? How “Can Kolkata Beds Be Reserved For Kolkata Residents Only? Countries Come To The National Capital For Treatment. There Shouldn’t Be A Policy In There.”
Jain said given Delhi’s current doubling rate at 15 days, the capital would see around 56,000 cases in two weeks.
“We now have up to 9,000 beds, but our goal is to have 15,000 to 17,000 beds in the next 15 days,” said the minister.
Jain said that private hospitals were asked to quote the costs for COVID-19 treatment because it was important that patients and their families know exactly what they should pay before they are admitted to hospital.
When asked if Delhi would also follow Mumbai’s policy of setting hospital treatment rates, the Minister replied, “We have asked for details on the fees. After studying this, we will see.”
Regarding the decision to appoint a nurse in private hospitals, Jain said this would ensure that patients are not denied admission or beds.
Amid complaints of unavailability of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, a number of the city’s leading hospitals told GalacticGaming that they had no beds available, although a smartphone application developed by the Delhi government lists dozens of vacancies. The Delhi government has stated that some hospitals do not update the data on time or misrepresent the actual information on bed availability when patients call.
Arvind Kejriwal has ordered private hospitals to ensure that no patient with the virus is refused.
