Delhi hospitals gasping for breath, says CM Arvind Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: As the healthcare system is nearing collapse in Delhi, with the city registering the biggest jump in daily Covid-19 cases, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday shot off letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal urging them to ramp up bed capacity in central government- run hospitals and to ensure “uninterrupted” supply of medical oxygen. “The Covid situation has become very serious in Delhi.

There is a huge shortage of beds and oxygen. I request that at least 7,000 out of 10,000 beds in central government hospitals in Delhi be reserved for Covid patients and oxygen be immediately provided in Delhi,” he wrote to the PM.

At present, only 1,800 of 10,000 central government hospital beds are reserved for Covid- 19 patients, he added. In his letter to Goyal, Kejriwal urged him to ensure an “uninterrupted” supply of 700MT of oxygen on daily basis and restore the supply of 140MT of oxygen by a supplier INOX. Earlier in the day, the CM said he also spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and stressed the need for beds for Covid-19 patients.

At a press conference, he said the Delhi government in the next 2-3 days will come up with 6,000 beds with oxygen facility at Yamuna Sports Complex, Radha Soami Satsang Beas premises and schools. The government also directed all nursing homes and private hospitals providing Covid-related treatment to reserve at least 80 per cent of their ICU and ward bed capacity for patients.