Delhi Govt Increases Bed Capacity Amid Corona Crisis, Turns Nursing Homes As Covid-19 Facilities

The Delhi government has directed all such nursing homes to make its beds functional within three days. Failing this, the government warned, action would be initiated against the defaulter nursing home.

(Photo by Sameer Sehgal/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

New Delhi:  After the national capital surpassed the 2000 mark on Saturday, the Delhi government passed an order declaring that small and medium multispeciality nursing homes in the national capital, which have 10-49 beds, as 'COVID nursing homes'. This has been done to increase the bed capacity for coronavirus patients, according to an official order. "In order to avoid intermingling of COVID and non-COVID patients in small and medium multispeciality nursing homes (10 bedded to 49 bedded) and also to augment the bed capacity for COVID-19 patients, all nursing homes in NCT of Delhi having bed strength of 10 beds or more up to 49 beds are declared as COVID nursing homes," it said as quoted by PTI. All such nursing homes (10 bedded to 49 bedded) are required to make their COVID beds functional within three days of the issuance of the order failing which it would be treated as violation of Clause 14.1 of the Schedule appended to Rule 14 of the Delhi Nursing Homes Registration (Amendment) Rules, 2011, it said. It added that "action, as deemed fit, would be initiated against the defaulter nursing home". As the numbers in the national capital are on a rapid rise this a list of containment zones in Delhi.

The total number of containment zones in Delhi is now 241; total 66 zones have been de-contained till date: Delhi Government. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/xLSzngckRB

— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2020

Only standalone exclusive eye centres, ENT centres, dialysis centres, maternity homes, and IVF centres are presently exempted, the order said. The government on May 24 had directed 117 nursing homes/private hospitals having bed strength of 50 beds or more to reserve/ earmark at least 20 percent of their total bed strength for COVID-19 patients. More than 70 percent COVID beds in the private sector are already occupied. It is projected that there would be a requirement of over 15,000 COVID beds till June 30 and by the end of first fortnight of July, the requirement would further swell up to more than 33,000 COVID beds. Also, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to chair a meeting on Sunday with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to review the coronavirus situation in the national capital. Also watch| Weather Update: Heavy rains lash parts of Maharashtra