Delhi govt hospitals further scale back COVID-19 beds
NEW DELHI: Delhi registered 246 new coronavirus cases, the lowest in around eight months, and eight more deaths, as the positivity rate dipped to 0.36 per cent on Sunday. The infection tally rose to 6.32 lakh and the death toll mounted to 10,746, according to a health bulletin.
Meanwhile, the number of beds reserved for COVID-19 patients at six major hospitals under the Delhi government, including LNJP and GTB hos-pitals, has been reduced as per a January 15 order by the Gov-ernment of National Capital Territory of Delhi.The Health and Family Wel-fare Department issued an order to de-escalate the number of beds reserved for COVID-19 patients at Lok Nayak Hospi-tal (LNJP), Guru Tegh Baha-dur Hospital (GTB), Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital (BSA), Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital (DDU), Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital (DCB), and Satyawadi Raja Harish Chan-dra Hospital (SRHC).At Lok Nayak, which has a total bed capacity of over 2,000, the number of COVID-reserved beds has been reduced to 300 from the existing 1,000.
LNJP's Medical Director Dr Suresh Kumar confirmed that a "meeting will be held on Mon-day with all HOD's and then the order will be implemented". Dr Kumar also said that all Opera-tion Theatres will be opened at 50 per cent functional capacity from January 21. Resident doctors and medi-cal students at LNJP, the largest teaching hospital under Delhi Government, who had been appealing for resuming non-COVID services for several weeks deemed it a welcome decision.
Dr Keshav Singh, President of the hospital's Res-ident Doctors' Association said: "earlier beds were lying empty, now the patients suffer-ing from non-covid illness can be benefited. Doctors can also see other patients and resume their practice".Similarly, at GTB hospital too, COVID-19 beds will be reduced to 200 from the earlier 500. Dr BSA hospital will now have 50 COVID beds, down from the earlier 200. DDU hospital will also reduce its 200 COVID-19 reserved beds to 20. DCB and SRHC hos-pital will both now have only 20 COVID reserved beds each down from the earlier 50 beds per hospital.
