Delhi HC Lifts Stay On AAP Govt's Order Reserving 80% ICU Beds For Covid-19 Patients

"The situation is dynamic in Delhi... The AAP government must keep its finger on pulse to be able to cope with the situation," the High Court said.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: High Court on Thursday allowed the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to reserve 80 per cent beds in the Intensive Care Units (ICU) of 33 private hospitals for Covid-19 patients. "The situation is dynamic in Delhi... The AAP government must keep its finger on pulse to be able to cope with the situation," the High Court said.  This comes after the national capital recorded 8,593 new cases of Coronavirus on Wednesday as the biggest single-day rise to date. The number of deaths was 85 the second-highest recorded in the city. The availability of ICU beds with ventilator support in Delhi has reached at an all-time low, with only 13 per cent beds available in private and government hospitals combined. Most of the major hospitals have reached maximum occupancy, while many just have a single bed available for patients requiring ICU and ventilator support. Out of the total 1283, ICU beds in Delhi 1197 are occupied, after which only 164 remain vacant. Only 99 of the 809 ICU beds with ventilator support in government hospitals are vacant and, Of the 474 ICU beds with ventilators in private hospitals, only 65 are vacant. GTB Hospital, Deendayal Upadhyay Hospital, Max Shalimar, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Indraprastha Apollo, Fortis Vasant Kunj, and Fortis Escorts hospital are among the hospital which has no vacancy for ICU With Ventilators. Satyendar Jain the health minister of the Union territory, admitting that the number of fatalities is increasing rapidly said, "Now three-time more tests are being done compared to the last time there was a peak. More than 64,000 tests were conducted yesterday, which is a record in itself". The Delhi government is relying heavily on tests to control the numbers. Across the city, RT-PCR tests are being conducted in markets, shops, and restaurants on both shopkeepers and customers. In court on Thursday, the Delhi government challenged an earlier order putting a freeze on the government's decision to reserve 80 per cent ICU beds for Covid-19 patients. A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad allowed the appeal of the Delhi government to allow reservation of 80 per cent of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients in 33 private hospitals for at least 15 days.