Beds for COVID-19 patients in Delhi to increase by 5000: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said bed strength in national capital for treating coronavirus patients will increase by 5000 after city government decided to declare small and medium multi-speciality nursing homes as "COVID nursing homes".

Small and medium multi-speciality nursing homes in city having 10 to 49 beds have been declared as "COVID nursing homes" by Delhi government to increase bed capacity for coronavirus patients, according to an official order issued on Saturday.

Only standalone exclusive eye centres, ENT centres, dialysis centres, maternity homes and IVF centres are presently exempted, order said.

"With Delhi government's decision, over 5000 beds will be available for coronavirus patients. In next few days, our officials will talk to owners of each nursing home to solve ir problems," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

According to Delhi Corona app, re are 9,802 beds available for coronavirus patients, with 5,367 beds being occupied at 11 am on Sunday.

order to convert small and medium nursing homes into COVID facilities was issued on Saturday.

"In order to avoid intermingling of COVID and n-COVID patients in small and medium multi-speciality nursing homes (10 bedded to 49 bedded) and also to augment bed capacity for COVID-19 patients, all nursing homes in NCT of Delhi having bed strength of 10 beds or more up to 49 beds are declared as COVID nursing homes," it said.

All such nursing homes are required to make ir COVID beds functional within three days of issuance of order failing which it would be treated as violation of Clause 14.1 of schedule appended to Rule 14 of Delhi Nursing Homes Registration (Amendment) Rules, 2011, it said.

It added that "action, as deemed fit, would be initiated against defaulter nursing home".

According to Clause 14.1, in event of any natural calamity, including outbreak and epidemics or disaster, owner or keeper of every nursing home shall, on being directed by supervising authority in writing, cooperate and provide reasonable assistance and medical aid as may be considered essential by supervising authority at time of natural calamity.

government on May 24 had directed 117 nursing homes/private hospitals having bed strength of 50 beds or more to reserve/ earmark at least 20 per cent of ir total bed strength for COVID-19 patients.

occupancy of beds earmarked for COVID patients is displayed on a real-time basis on Delhi Corona App. More than 70 per cent COVID beds in private sector are already occupied.

Furr, it is projected that re would be a requirement of over 15,000 COVID beds till June 30 and by end of first fortnight of July, requirement would furr swell up to more than 33,000 COVID beds.