Satyendar Jain said the number of non-ICU beds in these private facilities will be increased by 838.
New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the city government has issued orders to add 220 more ICU beds for coronavirus patients in 33 private hospitals.
He also said the number of non-ICU beds in these private facilities will be increased by 838.
Sixteen private hospitals in Delhi have already run out of ICU beds with ventilators for COVID-19 patients amid a resurgence in coronavirus cases, government data showed on Wednesday.
Of the 787 ICU beds with ventilators in government-run and private hospitals in the national capital, 298 were already occupied by 4 PM on Wednesday, according to the city government''s "Delhi Corona" application.
Also, 393 of the 1,229 COVID-19 ICU beds without ventilators are full.
"We are in a comfortable position (in terms of number of beds available). Overall, only 25 per cent of the beds for coronavirus patients in government and private hospitals are occupied. A few private hospitals have all ICU beds full. So, necessary orders have been issued," Jain told reporters.
The health minister also said that 65 lakh eligible beneficiaries (aged above 45) will be given coronavirus vaccine shots at around 500 sites, starting Thursday.
"We have enough vaccines available. The number of eligible beneficiaries is quite large. We will make efforts to complete the inoculation as soon as possible," he said.
Shree Agarsain International Hospital (15 ICU beds) and Jaipur Golden Hospital (6) in Rohini, and Max SS Hospital (5) and Fortis Hospital (5) in Shalimar Bagh are among the private health care facilities without a single ICU bed with a ventilator vacant.
Venkateshwar Hospital, Dwarka; Indian Spinal Injury Centre, Vasant Kunj, and Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Punjabi Bagh, also had all ICU beds with a ventilator full by 4 PM on Wednesday.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital (24) in Sarita Vihar, Balaji Action Medical Hospital (21) in Paschim Vihar, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital in Punjabi Bagh and Max Super Specialty Hospital in Shalimar Bagh have all their ICU beds (without ventilator) filled up, the data showed.
Delhi reported 992 coronavirus cases on Tuesday with a positivity rate of 2.70 per cent.
Officials said the low number of cases can be attributed to less tests conducted on Monday on account of Holi.
The city had recorded 1,904 cases on Monday, the highest in around three and a half months.
Authorities reported 1,881 cases on Sunday, 1,558 cases on Saturday, 1,534 cases on Friday, 1,515 cases on Thursday, 1,254 cases on Wednesday and 1,101 cases on Tuesday -- the first time since December 24 that the number of cases crossed the 1,000 mark.
The positivity rate was 2.77 per cent on Monday, 2.35 per cent on Sunday, 1.70 per cent on Saturday, 1.80 per cent on Friday, 1.69 per cent on Thursday, 1.52 per cent on Wednesday, and 1.31 per cent on Tuesday.