Delhi hospitals directed to reduce number of COVID-19 beds
With daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi showing a declining trend, the Delhi government on Monday asked private hospitals with 100 or more beds to scale down the number of oxygen beds reserved for COVID-19 patients to 30% of their capacity. For hospitals with less than 100 beds, the government left it to them whether they want to reserve any beds for COVID-19 patients.
Demand for non-COVID-19 beds is increasing: DGHS
On April 18, during the ferocious second wave of COVID-19, the Kejriwal government had directed all private hospitals and nursing homes to reserve at least 80% beds for COVID-19 patients. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said, "It has been observed that there are 22,220 vacant COVID-19 beds and there is a rising demand for non-COVID-19 beds for treatment of non-COVID-19 patients."
Rules differ for some nursing homes
The order said, "Hence, keeping in view a large number of unoccupied COVID-19 beds, the authority decided that in private hospitals with 100 beds or more, number of reserved oxygen beds may be reduced to 30% of total capacity or three times the occupancy as on June 16." "Nursing homes issued temporary registration for COVID-19-related treatment will reserve 100% of bed capacity," it added.
Guidelines will change if COVID-19 cases increase
In case there is a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi, "The keepers of all private hospitals/nursing homes providing COVID-19-related treatment shall immediately augment the number of COVID-19 beds," the order said.
Of 23,698 COVID-19 beds, only 1,015 are currently occupied
On Monday, Delhi recorded 59 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest so far this year, which took its infection tally to 14,33,993 while two more fatalities pushed the death toll to 24,967, according to health department data. The city has a positivity rate of 0.10%. Out of the total 23,698 beds for COVID-19 patients, only 1,015 are occupied, the data showed.
