'Delhi government hospitals reserved for residents only', announces CM Kejriwal

Amid the row over the sealing of Delhi borders and the threat to Delhi hospitals, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a televised address has made it clear that the hospitals affiliated with Delhi government will be reserved only for the residents of Delhi, while the Central government hospitals will remain open for the people who come from other states to Delhi for treatment.

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This comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi doesn't seem to get under control. The national capital recorded 1,320 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday taking the COVID-19 tally in the city to over 27,500 while the death toll due to the disease mounted to 761 according to PTI.

The statement by Delhi CM comes after he threatened the hospitals in Delhi against refusing to treat accident and COVID patients in the city. Kejriwal said despite a scheme launched by the AAP dispensation in February 2018, under which the Delhi government bears all expenses of treatment of such patients, some hospitals were refusing to treat them.

Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said that he held a meeting on Tuesday with representatives of privates hospitals, which assured him of full cooperation in implementing the scheme. He said there is also a Supreme Court order according to which no hospital can refuse to treat accident victims. The Delhi government will depute medical professionals at all hospitals who will update availability of beds for coronavirus patients at an official app and ensure admission of such patients, he added.

BJP has slammed the Delhi Government over the condition of the healthcare system in Delhi amid the Covid-19 crisis. BJP leader and former state chief Manoj Tiwari targeted the Delhi Chief Minister over the health crisis which is ever increasing. He pointed out Kejriwal's initial statements of having a capacity of 30,000 beds in the state for active COVID patients but later on, urging the COVID suspects to get themselves treated at home. Manoj Tiwari had earlier also targeted the Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi for sealing the borders in the wake of the rising cases of COVID-19.

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