650 more beds in two Delhi hospitals in push for infra to fight Covid-19

NEW DELHI: To ramp up the city’s hospital bed infrastructure amid a rise in Covid-19 cases, the Delhi government will next week open a newly constructed hospital in Burari and partially start another one in south Delhi’s Ambedkar Nagar by the end of this month for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients, senior government officials said on Thursday.

The health department has prepared a proposal to first start 200 beds in the 600-bed facility Ambedkar Nagar — seven years after it was first approved — all of which will be dedicated to Covid-19 patients. The proposal is likely to be tabled in the next cabinet meeting, the date for which is yet to be finalised.

Before this hospital is opened, the government will start another of its new hospitals in Burari for Covid-19 patients. The facility, which has a capacity of 700 beds, will start with 450 beds from next week.

“In the case of Burari hospital, just the fire safety clearance is awaited. We are expecting to start 450 beds for Covid patients there from next week. In Ambedkar Nagar, fire safety clearance will take a few more days, so we are expecting to start 200 beds in that facility by the end of the month,” said an official from deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s office.

Government officials, however, clarified that neither the Burari nor the Ambedkar Nagar facilities will have ICU beds.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS PREPARED A PROPOSAL TO FIRST START 200 BEDS IN THE 600-BED FACILITY AMBEDKAR NAGAR, ALL OF WHICH WILL BE DEDICATED TO COVID