NEW DELHI : Amid the rising corona virus COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Saturday (June 6) slammed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for “issuing warning” to hospitals.
The DMA also condemned the FIR filed against the authorities of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for allegedly “violating rules for registering coronavirus tests”. “Delhi Medical Association strongly condemns the way Delhi CM (chief minister) is warning the doctors and threatening the hospitals about COVID-19 patients’ admissions and tests,” the DMA said.
“Doctors who are serving the people of Delhi tirelessly from last two months in this pandemic crisis risking their lives feel insulted by the way they are being treated,” it said.
On Saturday, CM Kejriwal had said at a press conference that strong action will be taken against some private hospitals for refusing admission to corona virus patients. He also accused some private hospitals of being involved in “black-marketing” of beds, asserting that an order will be issued by the Delhi government stating that hospitals cannot deny treatment to such people.
CM Kejriwal also said that medical professionals will be deputed by Delhi government at all hospitals who will update availability of beds for corona virus patients at an official app.

“Hospitals are backbone of healthcare and are serving the patients COVID or non-COVID, they are being penalised and government instead of praising their efforts is issuing new diktats daily. Doctors of Delhi are already overworked and over stressed in this hour of pandemic crisis and the state government is unnecessarily putting pressure on healthcare systems,” the statement said, claiming the support of its 15,000 members,” the DMA said.
Meanwhile, Hospitals run by the Delhi government and some private hospitals will be reserved only for residents of the national capital, CM Kejriwal said today, amid a huge controversy over availability of beds. At the same time, he said that Delhi will unseal its borders, which were sealed in the first place “thinking that our hospitals will be flooded with people from other states”.

“For now, we have decided that the 10,000 beds under the Delhi government will be kept for residents. The beds under the Central government can be used by all. Private hospitals covering special treatment will be opened to all,” Mr Kejriwal said. Then borders, he added, will be open from tomorrow.
The number of corona virus patients in the city has been spiraling over the last week, registering a jump of more than a thousand patients each day. The total in the national capital has now crossed 27,000.
The decision, Mr Kejriwal said, was made on the advice of a special five-member committee of doctors formed. The committee has estimated that by the end of June, Delhi will need 15,000 beds. “They believe that the 9,000 beds that are currently with us will be taken over in three days if we allow people from other states to take admission,” Mr Kejriwal said at a virtual press conference today.

The Chief Minister had also sought suggestions from the people after reports of no availability of beds in hospitals. Many others were turned away by hospitals, which said they were over-run with patients. Today, Mr Kejriwal said 90 per cent of the residents suggested that hospitals be reserved for them till the corona virus crisis is over.
Following the controversy over beds, the Delhi government had earlier blamed laboratories, saying they were testing asymptomatic patients, and hospitals for admitting them. Mr Kejriwal had also said a “black-marketing of hospital beds” was on.
With Delhi starved of revenue, Mr Kejriwal had announced in April that the city was “ready to lift the lockdown”. At the time, he had also said Delhi’s hospitals were ready to handle the spike in cases that might result.
The possible decision to reserve beds for Delhi citizens was slammed by Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. In an interview with NDTV on Saturday, Mr Naqvi said: “How can Delhi’s beds be reserved for people of Delhi? How can Mumbai’s beds be only for Mumbaikars? How can Kolkata’s beds be only for people of Kolkata?

There isn’t a requirement of passport and visa to come to Delhi. People from all across the country come to the national capital for treatment. There shouldn’t be any politics in this. There is a need for sensitivity”.
(With Agency Inputs).

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us

Save