More beds, more testing: Delhi gears up for battle against COVID-19
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced a series of key decisions to aid Delhi’s fight against the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases, which included transferring of bureaucrats and ramping up testing, besides calling an all-party meeting on Monday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced a series of key decisions to aid Delhi’s fight against the alarming rise of COVID-19 cases, which included transferring of bureaucrats and ramping up testing, besides calling an all-party meeting on Monday (June 15) to review the virus situation in the national capital.
Shah held two high-level meetings during the day: the first one with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and senior officials of the Union Home and Health ministries and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority.
In the second meeting, Shah held discussions with the top functionaries of Delhi’s three municipal bodies along with Baijal and Kejriwal, to take stock of the COVID-19 situation in the national capital. After the meeting, East Delhi Mayor Anju Kamalkant said that the Centre, Delhi government and municipal corporations are working together to offer healthcare facilities as needed in this hour of crisis.
Shah also called a meeting of all political parties of Delhi on Monday to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the national capital, an official said. Besides the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP, the Congress, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has been invited for the meeting. A home ministry official said that Shah will discuss measures for management of COVID-19 with the political parties.
The development comes two days after the Supreme Court lashed out at the AAP government, describing as “horrific” the state of affairs in Delhi hospitals with bodies being stacked next to COVID-19 patients. It had also expressed concern over fewer tests being conducted in the national capital and had directed ramping up of testing.
Taking note of the “gravity” of the COVID-19 situation, the Delhi High Court has also directed the AAP government and the Centre to increase the number of beds and ventilators for the coronavirus patients. The COVID-19 tally has reached nearly 39,000 in Delhi and the virus has claimed more than 1,200 lives so far in the capital.
Here are the key announcements made on Sunday:
Testing to be increased
Testing will be doubled in Delhi in the next two days and subsequently increased by three times, announced Shah on Sunday. He said that COVID-19 tests will be started at every polling station in containment zones and a comprehensive house-to-house health survey will be conducted in the hotspots for contact tracing.
दिल्ली में कोरोना संक्रमण को रोकने के लिए अगले दो दिन में कोरोना की टेस्टिंग को बढाकर दो गुना किया जायेगा और 6 दिन बाद टेस्टिंग को बढाकर तीन गुना कर दिया जायेगा।
साथ ही कुछ दिन के बाद कन्टेनमेंट जोन में हर पोलिंग स्टेशन पर टेस्टिंग की व्यवस्था शुरू कर दी जाएगी।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 14, 2020
For proper monitoring, he said, the Aarogya Setu app will be downloaded in every person’s mobile phone.
According to the Delhi government’s recent submission in the Delhi High Court, the combined daily testing capacity of 40 laboratories, 17 public and 23 private, is 8,600 per day. The number of containment zones in capital has increased from 122 on June 1 to 242.
500 railway coaches
In view of shortage of beds for coronavirus infected patients in Delhi, the Modi government has decided to immediately provide 500 railway coaches which will be equipped with all facilities, said Shah. With the railway coaches provided by the Centre, the number of beds will be increased by 8,000 beds.
दिल्ली में कोरोना से संक्रमित मरीजों के लिए बेड की कमी को देखते हुए केंद्र की मोदी सरकार ने तुरंत 500 रेल्वे कोच दिल्ली को देने का निर्णय लिया है।
इन रेलवे कोच से न सिर्फ दिल्ली में 8000 बेड बढ़ेंगे बल्कि यह कोच कोरोना संक्रमण से लड़ने के लिए सभी सुविधाओं से लेस होंगे।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 14, 2020
Also, detailed guidelines will be issued for conducting the last rites of those who succumb to the deadly virus.
Transfer of bureaucrats
Within hours of the first high-level meeting on Sunday, orders were issued for immediate transfer of four IAS officers to the Delhi government and attachment of another two from the Centre to help the national capital fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The four IAS officers include Awanish Kumar and Monica Priyadarshini from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Gaurav Singh Rajawat and Vikram Singh Mallik from Arunachal Pradesh. Shah also directed attachment with the Delhi government of two senior IAS officers, SCL Das and SS Yadav, from the central government.
केंद्र सरकार ने दिल्ली में कोरोना संक्रमण को रोकने व इससे मजबूती से लड़ने के लिए दिल्ली सरकार को भारत सरकार के और पांच वरिष्ठ अधिकारी देने का निर्णय किया है।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 14, 2020
The Union home minister said that the central government will also make available its five senior officers to the Delhi government to help fight the coronavirus vigorously.
Inspection by doctors’ team
Shah said that a joint team of doctors of the Union health ministry, Delhi government’s health department, AIIMS and the three municipal corporations of Delhi will visit all COVID-designated hospitals in the capital and prepare a report after inspecting the health systems and preparedness.
Reservation of beds in private hospitals
The Union home minister said that a committee has been formed to ensure reservation of 60 per cent beds for coronavirus patients in private hospitals at low rates and to fix rates of COVID-19 treatment and testing. The committee will submit its report by Monday.
दिल्ली के निजी अस्पताओं में कोरोना संक्रमण के इलाज के लिए निजी अस्पतालों के कोरोना बेड में से 60% बेड कम रेट में उपलब्ध कराने, कोरोना उपचार व कोरोना की टेस्टिंग के रेट तय करने के लिए डॉ. पॉल की अध्यक्षता में एक कमेटी बनाई गयी है जो कल तक अपनी रिपोर्ट प्रस्तुत करेगी।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 14, 2020
दिल्ली के छोटे अस्पतालों तक कोरोना के लिए सही जानकारी व दिशा निर्देश देने के लिए मोदी सरकार ने AIIMS में Telephonic guidance के लिए वरिष्ठ डॉक्टर्स की एक कमेटी बनाने का निर्णय लिया है। जिससे नीचे तक सर्वश्रेष्ठ प्रणालियों का संचार किया जा सके। इसका हेल्पलाइन नं. कल जारी हो जाएगा।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 14, 2020
Shah said that in order to provide correct information and guidelines for coronavirus to small hospitals in Delhi, the Centre has decided to constitute a committee in AIIMS with senior doctors for telephonic guidance so that the best systems can be communicated to the ground level. Its helpline number will be released on Monday.
Centre to provide necessary resources
The home minister said that the Centre will provide the Delhi government necessary resources like oxygen cylinders, ventilators, pulse oximeters and all other requirements.
भारत सरकार ने दिल्ली सरकार को इस महामारी से लड़ने के लिए आवश्यक संसाधन जैसे ऑक्सीजन सिलिंडर, वेंटीलेटर, पल्स ऑक्सीमीटर व् अन्य सभी आवश्यकताओं को पूरा करने के लिए पूर्णतः आश्वस्त किया है।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 14, 2020
The Union Health Ministry, the Delhi government, all departments concerned and experts have been instructed to ensure that the decisions taken on Sunday are implemented well till the ground level.
Increased voluntary support
The government has decided to add the Scouts and Guides, NCC, NSS and other NGOs as volunteers in health services to fight the pandemic.
मोदी जी के नेतृत्व में देश कोरोना से पूरी सतर्कता और सहभागिता के साथ लड़ा है। कई स्वयंसेवी संस्थाएं बहुत उत्कृष्ट कार्य कर रही हैं। इस क्रम में सरकार ने Scout guide,NCC,NSS व अन्य स्वयंसेवी संस्थाओं को इस महामारी में स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं में वालंटियर के नाते जोड़ने का निर्णय लिया है।
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) June 14, 2020
Shah also said that many voluntary organisations are also doing very excellent work.
(With inputs from agencies)
