G20: 3 private hospitals among 8 medical facilities put on 'high alert'

Bharadwaj said as arrangements have been made for foreign guests coming for the G20 Summit to stay in various hotels across Delhi, city health department has formed 80 teams of doctors, nursing staff

Five government hospitals and three private medical facilities have been put on "high alert" in view of the upcoming G20 Summit in the national capital, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Wednesday.

Besides, the Delhi health department has formed 80 teams of doctors and nursing staff, who will serve guests staying at hotels. Out of these teams, 75 teams will work in shifts, officials said.

Bharadwaj convened a meeting at the Delhi Secretariat to take stock of healthcare arrangements in view of the Summit scheduled to be held from September 9-10.

"In light of the G20 Summit, the Delhi government has placed five major government hospitals and three private hospitals on high alert to ensure the healthcare arrangements are in place. These include primarily Lok Nayak Hospital, GB Pant Hospital, GTB Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, and Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital, along with private facilities Primus Hospital Chanakyapuri, Max Hospital Saket, and Manipal Hospital Dwarka," he said.

Lok Nayak Hospital has reserved 20 beds, GB Pant Hospital 10 beds, GTB Hospital 20 beds, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital 65 beds, and Babasaheb Ambedkar Hospital has reserved 40 beds for addressing any situation that may arise during the G20 Summit, Bharadwaj was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the health department.

He said that while this preparation is based on priority, all hospitals are also on alert in case any need arises.

Bharadwaj said as arrangements have been made for foreign guests coming for the G20 Summit to stay in various hotels across Delhi, the city health department has formed 80 teams of doctors and nursing staff.

Each hotel has been assigned three teams, each working in eight-hour shifts. These teams will remain dedicated to serving incoming guests round-the-clock, according to their respective time schedules. Additionally, five backup teams have been kept in reserve. If any difficulty arises or if any doctor or nursing staff is unavailable for any reason in any team, the doctors and nursing staff from these five backup teams will be deployed, he said.

Bharadwaj emphasised that there will be "no compromise" in the healthcare arrangements being made for the foreign guests.

Besides, a total of 106 ambulances have been readied with all advanced facilities. These ambulances will remain on high alert for 24 hours. In case of any medical emergency, as soon as the information is received, these ambulances will promptly transport the patient to the hospital, the statement said.

Bharadwaj said all necessary life-saving facilities are available in these ambulances.

On the three private hospitals being also put on "high alert", Bharadwaj said, "These hospitals have been selected based on their proximity to hotels where the foreign guests will be staying."

He emphasised that if a situation arises where immediate hospitalisation is necessary, and it could pose a risk to transport a patient to more distant hospitals, then these nearby private hospitals will be immediately utilised.

The meeting was attended by the Delhi Health Secretary, medical directors of the five earmarked city government hospitals, among other officials.