In a video address, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the government will abide by the decision taken by L-G Anil Baijal on the matter of reservation of beds for Delhi residents in state-run hospitals. He further added that there is no time for debate on this matter. The government is now discussing its future steps to curb Covid-19.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Delhi are increasing in large amounts every day, leading to a potential shortage of beds in hospitals. Thus, to tackle this problem, Kejriwal had announced that at least 10,000 beds in state-run hospitals would be reserved for the residents of Delhi and cater to their treatment. He also added that private hospitals would be open to all and patients from other states can seek treatment there. However, this decision was overruled by Lt. Governor Anil Baijal, who is also the chairman of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority. He said that patients from other states will be accommodated in these hospitals and everyone requiring a COVID-19 test will be examined. He had called for an all-party meeting to discuss the situation. The meeting was not attended by Kejriwal as he was unwell with fever and throat pain. He went into self- quarantine and was advised to take the COVID-19 test, where his report came negative. He is also feeling better now and has resumed his office work.
With respect to Anil Baijal’s decision, Kejriwal had earlier tweeted that such a decision will create a major problem for the government as more and more cases come in every day and soon, hospitals won’t be able to accommodate more patients. He also said that the government will work hard to find a solution to this problem. The decision was taken by Baijal also came under severe scrutiny has many alleged that it was a decision taken by him due to enormous pressure by the BJP.
The number of cases in the state stands at 31,000+ with 11,500+ recoveries. The number of cases is increasing in thousands on a daily bases and is expected to peak in July.
