The Delhi government on Saturday declared two more private hospitals in the city as COVID-dedicated, offering treatment on payment basis.
The Delhi Health Department in an order issued on Saturday said Batra Hospital and Research Centre, Tughlaqabad Industrial area; and Cygnus Orthocare Hospital, Safdarjung Enclave have been declared as COVID hospitals for admitting confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19 on payment basis.
While Batra Hospital will be offering 50 isolation beds and is partially converted as COVID hospital; Cygnus Orthocare Hospital has been fully made COVID-dedicated offering 40 isolation beds.
The Health Department in the order said the hospitals are being converted "in view of shortage of isolation beds in private hospitals".
The order directed the Medical Superintendent of these two Hospitals to make isolation beds facility for COVID-19 functional at their respective hospitals before May 18.
On April 30, the Delhi government made two hospitals -- Maha Durga Charitable Trust Hospital and Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital -- as COVID dedicated facilities offering paid services.
While Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital, with 120 isolation beds is made fully COVID dedicated, Maha Durga Charitable Trust Hospital, with 100 beds will be partially involved in the services.
"As desired by the Minister (Health), in view of shortage of isolation beds in private hospitals, following private hospitals are also declared as COVID Hospital for admitting confirmed, suspected cases of COVID-19 on payment basis," the order signed by the Health Secretary said.
Including the two new hospitals, total 14 hospitals have been made COVID dedicated in Delhi so far.
While four of these are hospitals run by the city government, five belong to the Central government and five are private. Seven hospitals, including five private and two Delhi government hospitals, are offering paid treatments.
City government's Lok Nayak Hospital with 2,000 beds and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital with 500 beds were fully COVID-dedicated and were offering free treatment for COVID-19.
Among the private hospitals, Sir Ganga Ram Kolmet Hospital, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital and Max Hospital, Saket were made COVID-dedicated hospitals in the city offering paid treatments.
Sir Ganga Ram Kolmet Hospital with 42 isolation beds was fully COVID-dedicated offering treatment on payment.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, with 50 isolation beds, and Max Hospital, Saket, with 108 isolation beds, were partially COVID-dedicated.
On March 31 the Delhi government earmarked six hospitals in the city for dedicated treatment of coronavirus patients, including the G.B. Pant Hospital.
However, owing to the difficulties faced by the general public, the Delhi government on April 9 removed the G.B. Pant Hospital from the list of designated COVID-19 Hospitals.
Central government hospitals -- Lady Hardinge Medical College; Ram Manohar Lohia; Safdarjung; and AIIMS (Delhi and Jhajjar) -- are offering services to the COVID patients in the city free of cost.
The 12 COVID-dedicated hospitals in Delhi functional as of date are housing 1,758 patients.
The COVID positive cases in the city mounted to 9,333 and the toll reached 129 on Saturday.
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