The Kejriwal government has opened the borders of Delhi from Monday onwards but it will have ramifications as it bans the entry of corona-affected patients from other states in the Delhi government-run hospitals. The Cabinet of the Delhi government has decided that people from outside the state will not be able to receive treatment for Covid-19 in Delhi’s private and government hospitals. Instead, they can get themselves treated in the Central government hospitals present there.
Addressing a press conference, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “Until March, all Delhi hospitals remained open for the people of the entire country. At any given time, 60 to 70 percent of our Delhi hospitals were treating patients from outside of Delhi. Now the cases of Coronavirus are increasing rapidly.
So what would happen to Delhi p e o p l e i f we keep our hospitals open for those outside the state? I had asked for suggestions on this matter, in which 90 percent of people of Delhi said that as long as Covid-19 prevails, only Delhiites should be treated in Delhi hospitals. A committee of five doctors was formed. Dr Mahesh Verma was the Chairman of this committee which has given its report. The report says that at present the hospitals in Delhi should be for residents of Delhi and not outsiders, otherwise, all the beds will be filled in three days.”
In view of the increasing cases in Delhi, the government estimates that by the end of June, the Delhi government will need 15,000 beds whereas there are only 8,049 beds in Delhi at present. The government will have to double the number of beds in the next few days. According to Delhi government sources, if they do not do so then beds will not be available in Delhi hospitals in the next few days. The Kejriwal government is also claiming that if Delhi needs more than 15,000 beds, they will prepare for that as well. The government has decided to keep hotels and banquet halls closed in the exemption given from June 8.
“Restaurants, malls, religious places will open in Delhi from Monday. All the precautions that the central government has asked for will be taken but hotels and banquet halls in Delhi will not open yet. In view of the growing coronavirus cases in the coming times, hotels and banquet halls may have to be turned into hospitals.”
The government’s strategy is that if there is less space in Delhi hospitals, some of them will have to be connected to hotels and banquet halls. By Sunday, Covid-19 cases have increased to 27,654 in Delhi and every day the number of new patients is close to 1,300. The number of deaths has reached 761.