Delhi runs in confusion as beds continue to allude COVID-19 patients

Last updated on February 14th, 2023 at 11:12 am

Delhi’s fate hangs between the deep sea and the dungeon as private hospitals continue to refuse admissions to asymptomatic and symptomatic cases of Covid-19. Many people are complaining of lack of testing equipment is large hospitals and hours of waiting to admit their ailing family members.

Further, the Delhi app which is supposed to help civilians locate empty beds in various private hospitals does not seem to be coming handy. In reality, hospitals are refusing admission on the grounds that they have no beds left for admission while the app shows availability.

As of now, under the guidance of an expert panel of medical professionals and CM Arvind Kejriwal, private hospitals are obligated to give admission to Delhi residents only, barring those run under the Delhi government. Further, Delhi hotels and banquet halls will continue to remain shut, in case they need to be transformed into medical facilities.

But while all this is going on, a recent overturn by the Lt. Governor Anil Baijal who refused to honour the decision made by the cabinet, has forced Kejriwal to honour this development who is now trying to make allowances to accommodate this sudden influx from outside Delhi.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing the media has said that in order to aid the increasing numbers, Delhi needs to provide with beds in a consistent manner till July 15.  Delhi is estimating infection cases will touch a one lakh mark by the end of June and a 5 lakh mark by the end of July. According to official spokesperson from the Delhi government, cases of spikes are being reported every 14-15 days.  By end of July, Delhi would be in need for 80,000 beds.

But if we were to add in numbers of civilians coming from outside Delhi for treatment then, the number of beds needed with have to be doubled if not tripled.

India has recorded the worst spikes and is now being counted as the fifth worst hit nation in the world. In Mumbai, cases of spikes have dramatically shot up making it come at par with the trend that was seen in the initial spread in Wuhan of China in November- December 2019.

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The black marketing racket has taken Delhi by storm and has left people enraged and grieved over lack of medical help and exorbitant demand for hospital beds. In the past, there have been cases of patients suffering from other ailments not receiving treatment, their relatives not allowed to meet with them, kept confined and not administered to and many of them losing their lives to negligence.

Medical ethics seems to have gone out of the window and the government isn’t being able to address this kind of blatant exploitation and corruption.