COVID-19 update | Delhi govt hospitals to get 164 more beds with oxygen backup, 122 ICU beds in two weeks

Patients sharing bed in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) hospital in Delhi. (Image: Reuters)

The government will be adding 164 beds with oxygen backup and 122 ICU beds in three central government hospitals in the national capital in the coming two weeks.

Addressing a press conference on April 21, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said 2,105 beds, which include 1,875 beds connected to oxygen supply and 230 ICU beds, have been added to the central government hospitals for COVID-19 patients in Delhi till April 20. The hospitals include Safdarjung Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Jhajjhar, ESIC Okhla, ESIC Jhilmil, and All India Institute of Ayurveda.

Bhushan noted that the number of beds for the COVID-19 patients in Delhi was increased four-fold from 510 beds from March 1 to 2,105 beds till April 20.

The health secretary further said the Indian Railways is also providing 50 coaches at the Shakur Basti station, amounting to 800 beds and 25 coaches with 400 beds at Anand Vihar Station.

"Thereby Railways had provided about 1,200 beds which can be used as oxygen or isolation beds," Bhushan pointed out.

He further said that in addition to the beds provided by railways, 250 beds by the Dhaula Kuan facility of DRDO have been made operational and another 250 beds will be operationalised from April 22.

Commenting on the incoming vaccination strategy from May 1, Bhushan clarified that 50 percent of the vaccines will be provided to state governments and private hospitals but will not be available in the open market at pharmacies.

He also noted that the vaccination centres that are receiving vaccine doses from the central government will continue to provide vaccination free of cost in order to ensure that the poor and vulnerable sections of the society and frontline workers can get access to the vaccines for free.

"All the vaccines whether provided by the government or through private channel will be governed under the government's National Vaccination Programme Guidelines, which means that all will be required to register on the CoWIN portal," the official said.

Adverse Event Immunisation reporting and digital vaccination certificates will continue to be provided.

The central government will continue to allot vaccines to the state governments from its share based on three parameters - state's vaccine consumption, the extent of infections (active cases) being reported in the given state,  and wastage of vaccines, the health secretary said.