Delhi Govt Reduces COVID Beds in Pvt Hospitals, Amid Rise in Dengue Cases

The Delhi government said that currently, there are 221 dengue patients admitted to hospitals.

Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

As Delhi faces a rise in the number of dengue cases in the capital, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation suspended surgeries in the 400-bed Swami Dayanand hospital in Dilshad Garden, with 90 dengue patients currently admitted in the hospital.

Meanwhile the Delhi government has reduced the number of beds reserved for COVID patients in private hospitals from 30 percent to 10 percent, “Apart from government hospitals like LNJP, where COVID beds have been reduced from 700 to 400”, Times of India reported.

Assuring that there is no shortage of beds, the Delhi government said that currently, there are 221 dengue patients admitted in hospitals, out of which 42 patients are from outside Delhi.

The COVID positivity rate, the government added, decreased further from 0.2 percent (17 June) to 0.06 percent (17 October), while currently the number of admitted COVID patients is 188.

Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendar Jain said that the dengue situation in Delhi is under control and further stated that 25 percent of admitted dengue patients were from outside Delhi.

Meanwhile, in Swami Dayanand hospital, Medical Superintendent Dr Rajni Khedwal said, apart from surgeries in the obstetrics department, all elective surgeries have been suspended.

Khedwal added that two surgical wards with 20 beds each were converted into dengue wards. However, she adds, they filled up in two to three days.

As per a civic report on vector-borne diseases, which was released on Monday, 18 October, there has so far been one death and 723 dengue cases till 16 October, which is the highest case count since 2018 for the same period, Indian Express reported.

(With inputs from The Times of India and The Indian Express.)