Govt ramps up Covid Health Centre beds
nNEWDELHI: With the city reporting an average of 2,652 cases every day over the past one week, the Delhi government is working to augment bed capacity in its Covid health centres (CHCS) in order to ensure that the maximum possible hospital beds can be kept free for critical patients.
In order to achieve the task, a rearrangement of beds from Covid care centres or CCCS was being done and, according to officials, the government has reduced capacity of its 10 Covid care centres (CCC) by more than 93% to enhance the bed capacity in its CHCS to around 17 times.
While CHCS cater to patients with symptoms ranging between moderate and severe, the CCCS are supposed to isolate patients with mild symptoms. The CHCS are required to have beds with oxygen facility, dedicated team of doctors, nurses and paramedics working in shifts, tie-up with a nearby Covid-19 hospital for assistance and at least one dedicated ambulance with oxygen support, among other requirements drafted by the Union health ministry, senior government officials said.
With Covid-19 patients who have mild or no symptoms no longer needing mandatory institutional quarantine after the revision of an order to this effect by the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) on Saturday, the government has embarked on its plan to rearrange beds from CCCS to CHCS. The rearrangement of beds had stopped soon after the L-G’S order on Friday but was restarted on Saturday soon after a revised order was issued.
Senior government officials said bed capacity at CCCS will also be enhanced in the days to come as the government acquires more banquet halls, sports complexes, etc – facilities that may not be suitable for being converted into CHCS.
The CCCS are simple isolation wards with beds without oxygen support, they have nurses and paramedics deployed, and health officers visit the centres every day to check on the health status of those lodged. Doctors are kept in the loop only for emergencies.
According to Delhi government records, till Saturday, when the rearrangement was finalised, Delhi had 5,974 beds spread across 10 Covid care centres. The Capital also had 344 beds spread across three Covid health centres.
After the rearrangement on Saturday, government records showed, the Capital now has 344 beds spread across the same 10 CCCS as large parts of them have been separated, upgraded in terms of infrastructure requirement and converted into CHCS. So, now there are 13 CHCS in the city in total, including the three which already existed earlier. The CHCS cumulatively have as many as 5,909 beds.
“The rearrangement was necessary because, in the days to come, the city will need more beds in Covid health centres so that more hospital beds can remain free for severe patients. And not all temporary facilities in sports complexes and banquet halls will be suitable for being converted into CHC. So, those can be turned into new CCC facilities,” said a senior official in the Delhi health minister’s office.
He further said, “At this stage, we have adequate oxygen facility and all required resources available with us to run Covid health centres with augmented capacity.”
nNEWDELHI: Delhi minister Satyendar Jain’s condition has been improving, and he is likely to be moved from the intensive care unit (ICU) to a ward by Monday, hospital officials said on Sunday.
Jain is being treated for Covid-19 at Max Healthcare Hospital in Saket, and is being monitored by a team of critical care specialists. He was administered convalescent plasma therapy on Friday, after his health deteriorated.
“His condition is stable, and he is currently under observation in the ICU. His condition has continued to improve, and there is a high possibility he will be shifted to a ward by Monday,” said an official from the hospital who asked not to be named.
He has no fever at the moment, and his oxygen levels have also significantly improved, the official said.
Convalescent plasma therapy is an experimental medical procedure, where critical Covid-19 patients are treated using plasma collected from those who have recovered from the infection.
The minister had tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. He was admitted to the Delhi government-run Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur on Monday night.
He had tested negative for Covid-19 on Tuesday. But another test the next day confirmed that he had contracted the infectious disease. His condition was stable and he was put on oxygen support at the government-run hospital intermittently.
However, the minister, who is known to have no co-morbidities, had later developed pneumonia (lung infection), a known Covid-19 complication, and also complained of breathlessness and giddiness on Friday morning.
On Friday, he was shifted to Max Hospital , where he was put on oxygen support at the ICU. Later in the day, a CT scan revealed that the pneumonic patch in his lungs had expanded.