Delhi Might Need 1.5 Lakh Beds As Cases May Touch 5.5 Lakh By July End

Delhi is in a desperate need of about 1.5 lakh beds by July, since a rise in the coronavirus cases is foreseen by the end of this month and July. Delhi’s chief minister, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal has given an assurance that he will personally oversee stadiums being turned into quarantine centres.

“In normal times, 50 percent of patients come from outside Delhi for treatments. So going by that calculation, we need about 1.5 lakh beds by July. I will personally oversee stadiums being turned into quarantine centres. In the last eight days, Delhi hospitals admitted 1,900 people. Around 4,200 beds are vacant in hospitals,” Kejriwal said.

Deputy CM had earlier said that he estimated there might be 5.5 lakh coronavirus cases in the city by July 31.

Later, LG Baijal cited a Delhi High Court ruling and said, “The Delhi High Court in a petition ‘Social Jurist, a Civil Rights Group versus GNCTD and Another’ after examining constitutional provisions in details, especially Article 14 and 21, after looking at jurisprudence in this regard, has held that denying patients medical treatment on the ground of not being resident of NCT of Delhi is impermissible.”

Baijal, also the Chairman of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, made it clear that the Supreme Court has invariably held in several successive judgments that ‘Right to Health’ is an integral part of ‘Right to Life’ under Article 21 of the Constitution.

“In exercise of powers conferred under Section 18(3) of the Disaster Management Act, the undersigned in his capacity as the Chairperson of the DDMA, hereby directs all departments and authorities concerned of NCT of Delhi, to ensure that monitoring / treatment is not denied to any patient on the ground of not being a resident of NCT of Delhi,” the order said.