The Delhi High Court has adjourned the hearing on reserving ICU beds for coronavirus patients in private hospitals to January 12.
As soon as the hearing started, the junior of Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, the Delhi Government counsel, said Jain is currently busy with another case in the Supreme Court and sought the next date.
Although the petitioners protested the Delhi government asking for the next date, and said the Delhi government is not at stake in this matter. It is forced to bear the financial loss, when 2,300 ICU beds are lying vacant in government hospitals, claimed the petitioner.
After listening to the petitioner, the court said that the Delhi government will either present its case on January 12 or else the court will pronounce its decision in this matter. The court has directed the Delhi government that in the hearing to be held on January 12, they should keep all the data related to ICU beds of both government and private hospitals in front of the court.
In an order passed on January 6 by R.N. Das, the medical superintendent of nursing homes, with the approval of state health minister Satyendar Jain, the government has accepted the recommendations made at a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) review meeting on January 5 to reduce the number of beds further to 40%.
“It was further decided in the review meeting to convert four fully Covid private hospitals, namely, Fortis Super Speciality Hospital, Vasant Kunj; Saroj Super Speciality Hospital, Rohini; Maha Durga Charitable Trust Hospital, Model Town & Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital, Pusa Road to be part Covid hospital,”
the order read.
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Earlier, in the petition filed by the Association of Private Hospitals, it has been said that through its notifications, the Delhi government has reserved 80% of ICU beds for Covid patients, but the Delhi government has not given anything to private hospitals and has overlooked their business interests.