Delhi LG visits site of proposed 10,000-bed makeshift Covid-19 hospital

Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Sunday inspected the site of a proposed 10,000-bed makeshift hospital for Covid-19 patients in South Delhi.

The planned Covid-19 facility will come up under a sprawling tent on the campus of spiritual organisation Radha Soami Satsang Beas on the Delhi-Haryana border.

The LG visited the site along with a team of officials, including South Delhi District Magistrate B M Mishra, and took stock of the available facilities, an official said.

Baijal said the administration will further ramp up medical infrastructure to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and directed the officials to build the makeshift hospital at the earliest, he said.

According to Delhi government's estimates, coronavirus cases in the national capital are likely to breach the 500,000-mark by the end of July. Around 100,000 beds will be needed for Covid-19 patients.

The city has 9,816 dedicated Covid-19 beds in state-run, central and private hospitals. Of these, 5,399 are occupied.

The Delhi government has also started the process to identify community halls and stadiums which can be converted into makeshift Covid-19 hospitals.

This Covid-19 facility, which will be 1,700 feet long and 700 feet wide, will have 200 enclosures with 50 beds each, said Vikas Sethi, secretary of Radha Soami Satsang Beas, Bhati Mines.

The makeshift hospital will be the largest such facility in the city so far. The work is expected to be completed by the end of June, he said.

The metal tent has lights and fans installed. Coolers will be needed considering the heat. The medical staff can also be accommodated in a building on the campus, he added.

The spiritual organisation gave its approval for the makeshift hospital two-three days ago.

District Magistrate B M Mishra said the administration wants to finish the work by June end "at any cost". He said the spiritual organisation operates a large kitchen which can feed one lakh people at a time.

Also, there are enough toilets available in the campus where the followers of the organisation listen to spiritual discourses.

"There are around 500 toilets, which is enough for 10,000 Covid-19 patients," Mishra said.

The district magistrate said a doctor, two nurses and a cleaner would be needed per enclosure. There is a building on the campus which can be used for accommodating doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff, he said.