Cap on treatment costs: Amid a rise in the number of coronavirus infections in Delhi, a panel set up by the Union Home Ministry has recommended lowering the cost of isolation beds and treatment at the intensive care units at the private hospitals in the national capital in a huge relief to COVID-19 patients. The recommendations come after the Union Home Ministry held a series of meetings over the last few days to check the spread of the highly infectious illness, which has affected nearly 50,000 people in the city.

 

The panel has recommended slashing the cost of isolation beds to nearly half; treatment at the intensive care units without and with ventilators has been capped between Rs 13,000-15,000 and Rs 15,000-18,000. “To provide relief to the common man in Delhi, HM @AmitShah constituted a committee under Member of @NITIAayog to fix rates charged by Pvt hospitals in Delhi for isolation beds, ICUs without ventilator support & ICUs with ventilator support (sic),” the Union Home Ministry tweeted this afternoon. 

 

“Committee has recommended Rs 8,000-10,000, 13,000-15, 000 & 15,000-18,000 including PPE costs for isolation bed, ICUs without & with ventilator respectively to all hospitals as compared to the current charges of Rs 24,000-25,000, 34,000-43,000 & 44,000-54,000 (excluding PPE cost) @HMOIndia,” it said in another tweet.  

 

 

The Delhi government has also made arrangements to increase the number of ICU beds in hospitals in view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the chief minister said.

 

“We may need more ICU beds in the coming days. Arrangements are being made to increase ICU beds in the hospitals,” he told reporters after visiting the Radha Soami Satsang Beas center in Chhatarpur to review COVID-19 preparations.

 

Kejriwal also said the Delhi government has taken over various hotels and banquet halls to arrange more beds for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

 

“Some of the hotels appealed to the court for a stay order, but we have won the case and the work of converting the hotels into isolation centers is in process,” Kejriwal said.

 

These treatment rates for COVID-19 infected people will be applicable to private hospitals.

 

Sample testing also has been doubled immediately in pursuance of decisions taken by HM Amit Shah in a series of meetings. A total of testing samples of 27,263 have been collected in Delhi from 15 to 17 June 2020 against the daily collection which varied between 4,000-4,500 earlier.

Union home minister Amit Shah met Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday to take a stock of the situation in the capital. According to his recommendation, the national capital has begun a house-to-house survey in the containment zones. A total of 2.3 lakh people were surveyed in Delhi’s 242 containment zone to curb the spread of the virus.