"Window Shopping For Beds": Delhi Minister Blames Hospital, Labs

Delhi government's recent launch of "Corona App" -- meant to help users find out about the status of total hospital beds and ventilators -- had a fallout the government was not expecting. The users, health minister Satyendra Jain said, were "window shopping" for hospitals and asymptomatic patients were occupying the much-needed beds for patients with a more serious condition.

The minister blamed the last bit on laboratories, which, he said, were not only testing asymptomatic patients, but also delaying the results.

An inquiry has been ordered against eight labs, seven of them private and one run by the government.

"Window shopping for beds has started from the day we launched the app. The actual people with necessities are few among them," said Satyendra Jain, referring to the "Delhi Corona" app.

While launching the app on Tuesday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said  though the number of cases was rising, "We need not panic. We have made sufficient arrangements".

Today, Mr Jain said the government was "getting numerous calls with demand for beds".

Amid the rising demands, Mr Jain and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia have ordered that 20 per cent beds in the national capital's 61 hospitals be reserved for coronavirus patients.

So far, five government hospitals and three private hospitals have been turned into dedicated coronavirus centres. Yesterday, three more private hospitals were ordered to be converted into dedicated facilities, Mr Sisodia said.