Hospitals allowed to increase beds

As part of preparations to deal with dengue and chikungunya in the Capital, the Delhi government has permitted all hospitals, government and private, to increase their bed capacity up to 20% for the next six months.

Health minister Satyendar Jain said the department will ensure there would be no dearth of beds in hospitals even if the city witnesses a spike in mosquito-borne diseases.

“We have given permission in advance so that hospitals do not have to wait for last-minute nod at the time of need. On average, we expect that the relaxation would help in adding at least 2,000 beds across the hospitals,” Jain told reporters, advising people that city residents should not panic and get admitted in hospital only with doctors’ recommendation.

The city has recorded 50 cases of dengue and 105 cases of chikungunya this year till June 17, the health minister said.

With the monsoon season around, the health department is also planning an extensive awareness campaign to educate people about measures to prevent spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

“We have directed the concerned department to use all means of communication to create awareness, including hoardings across the city, advertisements in metro trains and stations, radio advertisements among others,” Jain said.

HTC