Shift Covid patients to Delhi govt hospitals ahead of Hindu Rao doctors' strike: Satyendar Jain

Days after the resident doctors in the national capital went on a "symbolic indefinite strike" over non-payment of their due salaries for the last three months, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Saturday ordered shifting of all coronavirus patients from civic-run Hindu Rao Hospital to its own facilities.

Interacting with the media, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said, "Staff of the hospital should be paid their salaries. If Municipal Corporation of Delhi is not able to run Hindu Rao, and Kasturba hospitals, then they should handover them to the state government."

Satyendar Jain also added that Delhi has reported less than 3,000 daily cases for the last nine days. As of now 20 patients are at the Hindu Rao Hospital, the Delhi Health Minister said.

"Today, we have ordered to shift all COVID-19 patients from Hindu Rao Hospital to our own facilities. They have the choice to be shifted to LNJP Hospital or any other government hospital nearby their homes," Jain added.

With 900 beds, Hindu Rao Hospital is the largest municipal hospital in the national capital and is currently a dedicated coronavirus facility. Many of its healthcare workers had contracted the infection earlier.

Hindu Rao Hospital falls under the jurisdiction of the BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).

"BJP is doing politics over the issue, they earn through several taxes, and if they can't run their hospitals, then they (NDMC) should hand them over to the Delhi government," Jain said.

Meanwhile, 2,860 fresh coronavirus cases were reported in New Delhi in a span of 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 3,03,693. 39 more deaths have been reported, taking the total number of fatalities to 5,692, according to a health bulletin released by the Delhi government on Friday.

With agency inputs