EWS bed occupancy touches 85 per cent at pvt hospitals

"Highest percentage of occupancy in EWS beds in 44 notified private hospitals was 85 per cent. The achievement is due to intensive publicity and pressure by <g data-gr-id="38">health</g> department,” said a senior officer of Directorate of Health Services of Delhi government. 

As per the information of ‘Real Time Availability of Free Beds’ of DHS, two of seven districts had EWS bed occupancy of over 100 per cent, which means they had admitted more than required patients. The bed occupancy in Central district was 105 per cent as Sir Ganga Ram Hospital had admitted 84 EWS patient against mandatory 80 patients. Similarly, the combined EWS bed occupancy of West and South West districts was recorded at 102 per cent.

“The results are very encouraging. It reveals that continuous pressure on private hospitals and regular monitoring will help us to ease government hospitals by shifting patients in these private hospitals,” said Ashok Agarwal, senior lawyer and member in the <g data-gr-id="31">three member</g> EWS Beds Monitoring Committee of Delhi government constituted on the directions of the High Court. 

There are 44 private hospitals in the city which were provided land on subsidised price on the condition to provide free beds to poor patients. They implemented the provision only after the order of Delhi high court on public interest litigation (PIL) in 2002.

“It’s not only regarding dengue patients, these hospitals are now admitting patients suffering from serious diseases like cancer, heart disease and providing them completely free of cost medical services. Even the notorious hospitals have started extending IPD and OPD services to EWS patients,” he added. As per the directions of High Court, these private hospitals were liable for 10 per cent IPD and 25 per cent OPD services totally free to the EWS patients. 

There were 623 EWS beds in these hospitals excluding 239 beds in Indraprastha Apolo which the government was trying to add in the EWS free beds pool.