The Delhi High Court has termed “abysmal” the state of affairs in 33 government hospitals in the Capital that have only 400 ICU beds with ventilators available, against 10,059 beds.
A Bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V.K. Rao was informed by the Delhi government that 52 out of the 400 ventilators are not functional and efforts are being made to get them repaired.
“The non-functioning of 52 ventilators reduces the availability of ventilator beds to only 348... It is expected that at least 10% of the total beds [as is noted in most private hospitals] must have ventilator facilities to cater to the large population in a city like Delhi,” the Bench remarked.
The High Court directed the Delhi government through the Health Department to examine this aspect and submit a status report.
“It is not disputed that the private hospitals are expected to provide free medical facilities to persons belonging to the EWS category. They can also avail the benefit of ventilator facilities in private hospitals,” the Bench noted.
The Delhi government has started a control room under the Directorate General of Health Services that collects data with regard to availability of ventilator beds, H1N1, dengue beds from all government hospitals. People can get this information over the phone.
The High Court said that the control room should also provide similar facilities with regard to information of private hospitals here.
“Similarly, we direct the hospitals, which are managed by the Central government in Delhi to also operate a control room in the manner it is being operated by the Delhi government,” the Bench added.
The High Court was hearing a public interest petition initiated by it based on newspaper report in 2017 after it came to know that a newborn had died as the family had not got any ventilator bed in four government hospitals in the national capital.
Last month, advocate Ashok Aggarwal had informed the High Court that a three-year-old boy, admitted in Lok Nayak Hospital since January 24 and suffering from a neurological condition, was in need of a breathing apparatus, but was making do with a manual resuscitator.
The Delhi government had told the court that the boy was provided ventilator facility at the hospital. On the last day of hearing, Mr. Aggarwal informed the High Court that the boy expired on February 10.
