117 Delhi private hospitals to reserve 20% beds for COVID-19 patients, says Kejriwal, admits to rise in cases
Further, in a warning to the private hospitals, Kejriwal said that Coronavirus patients ‘can’t be turned away’.
by SNS WebBriefing media on the status of Coronavirus after one week of relaxing the lockdown, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday informed that 117 private hospitals have been asked to reserve 20 per cent beds for COVID-19 patients.
He said 2000 new beds will be available in private hospitals from today for those who go there for COVID-19 treatment.
Further, in a warning to the private hospitals, Kejriwal said that Coronavirus patients “can’t be turned away”. Detailing on a similar incident, he said the Delhi government has given a show-cause notice to a private hospital that denied treatment to a patient who tested positive for novel Coronavirus. “It is the hospital’s duty in such a case to provide an ambulance to the patient and take them to a COVID hospital,” the chief minister added.
Kejriwal said there were about 4,000 COVID beds with the government, of which only 1,500 were occupied. In private hospitals, 677 beds are available of which 509 are occupied.
Kejriwal also said there are 250 ventilators with the government and only 11 are being used.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, has admitted that Coronavirus cases have been increasing slowly in Delhi, but assured that the situation is under control and there is nothing to worry.
He said there is nothing to worry about unless the mortality rate or the number of serious cases rises rapidly. “If people contract the virus and recover, then there is nothing to worry about,” Kejriwal said.
The chief minister also informed that most of the cases have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic and being treated at home. As many as 3,314 people are undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at home.
Delhi has reported 13,418 positive cases of Coronavirus so far, out of which 6,540 people have recovered and 6,617 are active cases. As many 261 people have succumbed to the deadly infection.