Delhi's Private Hospitals Run Low On ICU Beds As Covid Numbers Show Upswing

The cases of Covid-19 are on a steady rise in the National Capital are rising as an emergent second wave of the virus make sit self felt in other parts of the country. Over the last 24 hours, Delhi has reported over 1,800 fresh infections and the number of active cases has crossed 7,000 -- the highest since September.

But the city appears unprepared at the moment to deal with a major surge -- some private hospitals have started running out of beds in the Intensive Care Unit for Covid patients. According to the Delhi government's Corona app, four of the five key hospitals in the city have no bed with ventilators available in the Intensive Care Unit.

All eight ICU beds are occupied in the Holy Family hospital in Okhla. Fortis hospital and Max hospital in Shalimar Bagh and the Indian Spinal Injury Centre in Vasant Kunj have no available beds in the ICU either. Only one bed is available in Sir Gangaram Hospital.

Beds with ventilators, however, are available at the government-run hospitals. Of the 5,765 beds earmarked for Covid patients, 4,301 are vacant. Of the total 785 ICU beds with ventilators, 544 are vacant and 887 of the 1,210 ICU beds without ventilators are available too.

Hospitals are now making preparations to meet a surge.

"We are making appropriate arrangements with rise in cases, the infrastructure is being strengthened," said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, the Group director of Max Hospitals.

The government has urged people to maintain Covid appropriate behavior to avoid the situation Delhi was in last year when almost all the hospitals had run out of crucial healthcare infrastructure as the infection surged in November.

The Supreme Court had pulled up the Delhi government and the Centre had to step in to help with the arrangements.