Expedite supply of oxygen and help to those in home isolation: CM Kejriwal

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday directed officials to expedite the process of scaling up oxygen beds and intensive care unit (ICU) beds across the city – the national capital had run out of both on Tuesday – and asked for the home isolation surveillance system to be strengthened.

As of Wednesday night, Delhi had 21,014 Covid-19 beds, of which 19,379 are occupied. Also, out of the 4,809 ICU beds in the city, 4,791 are occupied, said the government’s real-time application on hospital beds.

Kejriwal issued the directions in a review meeting on Wednesday evening which was also attended by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, health minister Satyendar Jain and several senior officials. It comes at a time when an acute shortage of oxygen is becoming the major obstruction to the government’s plan to augment beds across hospitals.

“Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal convened a meeting today (Wednesday) with the health officials on the Covid-19 situation in Delhi. In the meeting, the CM deliberated on the plan to increase the number of oxygen beds in the coming days, along with strengthening the home isolation system,” said a senior government official, asking not to be named.

Kejriwal said in a statement, “We have to further strengthen our home isolation system. Every patient who is recovering from Covid in home isolation should receive regular calls from Delhi government doctors and they should be supplied with an oximeter. We have to monitor the daily condition of every patient recovering at home,” he said.

On Tuesday, Kejriwal had said by May 10, Delhi will have at least 1,200 more ICU beds --- 500 being prepared at a facility attached to GTB hospital, another 500 at a facility being set up at the Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi which will be attached to Lok Nayak hospital, and 200 ICU beds at the Covid care centre at Radha Soami Satsang Beas campus in Chhatarpur.