100 more ICU beds at Lok Nayak likely

NEWDELHI: The Delhi government is likely to add 100 intensive care unit (ICU) beds in the Lok Nayak hospital in central Delhi – the city government’s biggest dedicated hospital for Covid– taking the total number of such beds to 200, a senior government official said on Sunday.

Data compiled by the Delhi government on Sunday showed that of 5,777 Covid patients who were admitted in the hospital so far, 4,169 have recovered.

“The number of ICU beds in the hospital was increased from 64 to 100 earlier this month. 100 additional ICU beds will be added very soon,” said the official, adding that the hospital already has 80 ventilators and 2,000 beds, of which 384 have oxygen support.

On Sunday evening, more than 1,300 of the 2,000 beds in the hospital were vacant, showed the government’s real-time application on hospital bed availability. Also, in the last three months, the hospital has witnessed 114 successful child deliveries and 1,130 dialysis sessions concerning covid patients.

“In most cases of child birth, the baby was found to be free from Covid,” said a senior government official.

In June, the hospital witnessed 50% drop in deaths, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had said in a digital press briefing last week, attributing it to plasma therapy trials. Data compiled by the government on Sunday showed that the hospital witnessed 51 deaths in the week between June 20 and 26, as against 100 deaths recorded between June 6 and 12.

The hospital has already administered 29 plasma trials in the first phase, said the government records, and it has got the Centre’s approval for 200 more. “The Chief Minister advocated the use of plasma therapy in April itself, at a time when this therapy was still being considered as a possible approach to treat serious covid patients in the country,” said a Delhi government spokesperson.