Covid 19: Star hotels to add 2,000 beds for viral fight

Representative photo: PTI
NEW DELHI: With the number of coronavirus cases on a surge, Delhi government on Friday decided to take over five starred hotels for conversion into temporary hospitals to augment the beds available for Covid-19 patients. The hotels will be linked with the nearest private hospital designated as a Covid hospital. The government has also enlisted 10 other hotels for paid isolation stay for people with mild and pre-symptomatic Covid-19 signs.

Officials said using hotels would add around 2,000 beds to available facilities. Some hotels so requisitioned are Crown Plaza in Okhla Phase-I, Surya in New Friends Colony, Siddharth in Rajendra Place, Jivitesh on Pusa Road and Sheraton at Saket District Centre, to be, respectively, attached to Batra Hospital Centre and Research Centre, Indraprastha Apollo, Dr BL Kapur Memorial, Sir Ganga Ram and Max Smart Super Specialty hospitals.

In Delhi government’s three-tier health setup for Covid patients, asymptomatic and those with mild symptoms are advised home quarantine, those a degree higher are sent to Covid health care centres, while patients with existing ailments who require proper care are admitted to the hospitals. The government has so far identified 13 hospitals, two run by state government, three by the Centre and eight private ones as dedicated Covid facilities.

The addition of the five hotels will take the total number of beds available for Covid-19 patients in Delhi to over 11,000. While the 13 Covid hospitals collectively have around 4,500 beds, the facility at GTB Hospital with 1,500 beds will be up soon. In addition, around 117 private hospitals have also been asked to keep 20%, or 200 beds, for Covid cases. Delhi government had earlier assured of 12,000 beds in hotels and banquet halls by the time the Covid count reached 30,000.

According to Friday’s government order, patients will pay up to Rs 5,000 in five-star hotels and a maximum of Rs4,000 in 3/4-star facility per day. The patient may also have to pay up to Rs5,000 daily for medical services and consumables. The hospital will also be allowed to charge Rs2,000 per day for oxygen support, apart from the scheduled rates for tests and investigations.

“The attached private hospital is required to provide sufficient manpower (doctors and nurses) as per norms. It is also required to provide oxygen supply, either in form of oxygen concentrator or cylinder in the extended Covid hospital,” said the order issued by health and family welfare secretary Padmini Singla.

The order adds, “… in case such patients turn severe at any point of time during their stay in the hotel, he/she shall be transferred/admitted in the attached private hospital at its scheduled rates”.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had earlier said that many Delhiites preferred private health facilities instead of government-run hospitals.

Those recommended for home quarantine can now opt for starred hotels on payment basis. On Friday, Delhi government released a list of 10 private hospitals with total capacity of about 1,900 rooms at pre-decided rates on single, twin and triple sharing occupancy. Covid-19 positive people with mild or pre-symptoms are eligible to be quarantined at home. Of the current 17,000 positive cases, more than 4,600 were in home quarantine.