Back30,000 Covid-19 beds will be available in Delhi by June-end: Amit Shah
Shah also said rates of isolation beds which were around ₹24,000 and ₹25,000, have been reduced to ₹8,000 to ₹10,000He also disagreed with Delhi's Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and said Delhi will not have 5.5 Lakh cases by July-end
PremiumUnion Home Minister Amit Shah today said that the Centre has taken several steps to ramp up infrastructure and health facilities in Delhi in order to contain the spread of novel coronavirus in the national capital. In that process, the government had already planned in providing 30,000 Covid-19 beds by end of June, Shah said.
In an interview with ANI, Shah said that the rates of isolation beds and ICU treatment has also been reduced significantly in Delhi and a committee was set up for the purpose.
"By June 30, 30,000 beds will be available. Eight thousand beds have been made in railway coaches and 8,000 beds are being prepared. DRDO is making an exclusive COVID-hospital in which there will be 250 ICU beds and with ventilators. A 10,000-bed facility has also been set up at the Radha Soami Beas, (Chhattarpur) keeping the rainy season in mind. The 9,937 beds arranged by Delhi Government earlier have not been occupied completely. It is not that they have not made arrangements but if the situation worsens, we have planned in advance," Shah said, as reported by ANI.
He said it was the concern of people of Delhi that private hospitals are charging arbitrary rates. "In my meeting, a decision was taken that a committee of doctors would be set up that would listen to private hospitals, consider best practices and extra cost in treating COVID-19 patients," he said.
In addition to that, Shah also said rates of isolation beds which were around ₹24,000 and ₹25,000, have been reduced to ₹8000 to ₹10,000.
"The rates for ICU without ventilators were between ₹34,000 to ₹43,000. Now it is ₹13,000 to ₹15,000. ICUs with ventilators previously use to cost ₹44,000 to ₹54,000. It has now been brought down to ₹15,000 to ₹18,000. It includes tests for COVID-19, medicines. And in case of a diabetic patient, the next treatment is also included. It is a sealed package," he added.
He said teams were constituted comprising doctors from Delhi government, AIIMS and ICMR to help reduce shortcomings.
Speaking about his visit to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP), Shah said that not only did it bring issues being faced on the ground to the front, but also boosted the morale of the health workers.
He said Delhi government conveyed that the number of ambulances, oxygen cylinders and ventilators needed to increase.
"We immediately provided 500 oxygen cylinders, around 10,000 oximeters and 440 ventilators and will provide more as and when needed.
In the same interview, Shah also said that remarks made by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in early June about the national capital reaching 5.5 lakh Covid-19 cases by the end of July had created "fear" among people and he expressed confidence that the stage will not be reached.
He also said that there was no community transmission of the disease in the national capital.
Earlier, Shah and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal today visited 10000-bed Covid Care Centre at Radha Soami Beas in Chhatarpur.
The facility has been created there to treat patients who have tested positive for covid-19 and home isolation is not the option for them.
Meanwhile, Delhi's novel coronavirus cases on Saturday breached a grim milestone of 80,000-mark after 2,984 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the national capital in the last 24 hours.
The total number of confirmed virus patients in Delhi have now reached 80,188, according to the authorities.
Along with that, the death toll in the national capital has increased to 2,558 after 66 more virus-related fatalities were reported since Friday.
With inputs from ANI
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