Shortage of hospital beds in Delhi: Satyendar Jain

New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said that there is a shortage of hospital beds in the capital especially in ICUs.

However, he further stated that there is “no shortage” of medical oxygen in the capital for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

“There is no lack of oxygen, but some suppliers have been told that they will first have to supply in Rajasthan. This problem will be resolved soon.

Oxygen comes from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in Delhi because the plants are large in number in these areas.

“Delhi government hospitals have six to seven days of oxygen stock,” he added.

He also spoke about the ratio of coronavirus patients in Delhi and the availability of the beds stating, “Out of 15,804 beds in Delhi hospitals, 7,051 beds are occupied at present. However, we’re facing a problem as there is a shortage of beds, especially in ICU in some private hospitals as people from outside Delhi prefer specific hospitals for treatment.”

The Delhi Health Minister also talked about the preparations undertaken by the government for combating Dengue menace and said campaigns have been launched to create awareness among the masses and added that “the number of cases of this disease has come down in comparison with last year.”

“At present, we need coronavirus wards, the Dengue wards were needed in 2015. I don’t think we will need dengue wards now,” Jain added.