Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Sunday, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making an urgent request to increase the number of beds reserved for Covid positive patients in Central Government hospitals from the existing 1,800 to 7,000.
Hospitals in Delhi are also in dire need of oxygen to meet the increasing demand, Kejriwal's letter to the Prime Minister highlighted.
He further appealed that the number of ICU beds being set up by DRDO may be increased to 1,000 from the current 500.
Thank the Centre for extending cooperation
Kejriwal expressed his gratitude to the Centre for the help it had extended thus far and hoped the same would continue.
Stating that the increasing Covid positive cases across the city are putting a severe strain on the healthcare system, with hospitals running out of beds and shortage of oxygen, Kejriwal wrote that the current situation is "extremely grim", with Delhi facing an acute shortage of beds and oxygen, and almost all ICU beds being full.
He said that while the Delhi government was pulling all stops to meet the current demands, it would require support from the Centre.
He further wrote that the Centre’s hospitals in Delhi have close to 10,000 beds, of which only 1,800 beds are reserved for Covid patients. Given the seriousness of the Delhi situation, the number of these beds may please be increased to 7,000, Kejriwal said.
Since Delhi is also facing a severe shortage of oxygen, the same would need to be arranged for immediately, the letter added.