Do not panic and rush to hospitals if you don’t need it, beds being ramped up: Manish Sisodia

Out of 19,537 beds for Covid patients, only 2,682 are available – most of them in government hospitals. The shortage of ICU beds is more severe and out of 4,585 only 30 are vacant.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia appealed to people not to panic and follow all rules of lockdown to slow the spread of Covid. “Covid patients should not rush to the hospital out of fear and should adopt home isolation as an effective model. Home isolation is the most effective way to fight Covid-19. During home isolation, doctors regularly keep in touch with people over the phone. If you have high fever or severe symptoms, only then should you go to hospitals.”

Delhi is reeling under a shortage of hospital beds as well as oxygen. Out of 19,537 beds for Covid patients, only 2,682 are available – most of them in government hospitals. The shortage of ICU beds is more severe and out of 4,585 only 30 are vacant.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is under self-isolation after his wife tested positive, had appealed to people earlier to not get admitted if they have only moderate symptoms as someone sicker than them could need a bed.

Sisodia said Tuesday that if a patient requires a bed, they should check the Delhi Corona app before going to the hospital as it will save time. “If a hospital is showing false information on the app or refusing people despite having beds, action will be taken,” he said.

The Delhi government is making efforts to operationalise as many beds as possible soon but the shortage of oxygen has also hit the process, officials said. So while beds are being arranged, many will have to either make do with minimal oxygen or no oxygen at all till the situation in Delhi improves.

“Delhi government is working on a war footing and 2,700 new beds will be added in hospitals within the next 4-5 days. The number of Covid-19 beds went up from 6,071 to over 19,100 within two weeks… At present, there are 320 beds in Burari Hospital, which will be increased to 800. The capacity of beds at Ambedkar Nagar Hospital will be increased from 200 to 600. The beds at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital will be increased from 250 to 750. 250 new beds each will be added at Acharya Shree Bhikshu and DRDO’s Covid-19 center. The number of beds in the Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra Hospital of Narela will be increased from 200 to 400. Also, a Delhi government school with 125 beds will be connected to the LNJP hospital. All these beds will be ready in the next 4-5 days,” he said.

Sisodia also visited the Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar hospital in Rohini, along with Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

Flagging the shortage of anti-viral Remdesivir, Jain appealed to the Centre to allow all companies to manufacture the drug. “There is a shortage of Remdesivir in the entire country. We probably have 12 to 14 companies in the country for this. If the central government allows all these to manufacture it, then its shortage will end. Strict action will be taken against whoever indulges in black marketing of these drugs.

Relatives of Covid patients have been running from pillar to post in Delhi, and in other states, to get remdesivir injections.

Speaking about Delhi government’s plan to ramp up vaccinations when all those above 18 will be eligible to get a shot starting May 1, Jain said: “There are already more than 500 vaccination centres in Delhi and these will be further increased. We had also asked the central government to give permissions to open more vaccination centres and said that these be allowed open in schools and community centres. If this permission is granted, we will be able to vaccinate very quickly,” Jain said.

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