100% COVID-19 beds will be subsidized up to upper limit of 60% hospital capacity: Manish Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday announced that 100 per cent coronavirus COVID-19 beds in private hospitals will be subsidised up to the upper limit of 60 per cent of total hospital capacity.

Earlier he had said that the central government has made the proposal to reduce rates for just 24 per cent beds in private hospitals but the Delhi Government wants at least 60 per cent beds at reduced prices. "This is what we have been demanding," said the Deputy CM.

Lt Governor Anil Baijal said, "Delhi Disaster Management Authority has approved recommendations of High-Level Expert Committee to fix rates of beds for COVID-19 patients. Rates for isolation beds, ICUs without and with ventilator in hospitals are capped at Rs 8000-Rs 10000, Rs 13000-Rs 15000 and Rs 15000-Rs 18000, respectively."

Amid huge resistance from the ruling AAP government, Lt Governor Baijal on Saturday rolled back his order of mandatory 5-day institutional quarantine for COVID-19 patients in the national capital.

Recalling his order, a tweet from Delhi L-G’s office said, “Only those COVID positive cases which do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment and do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation." The reservations of LG over home isolation were resolved in SDMA meeting; home isolation system will continue: Delhi Deputy CM.

It may be recalled that Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party had opposed Lt Governor’s order for a compulsory five-day institutional quarantine for COVID-19 patients, calling it an arbitrary move. The Delhi government said that the L-G's decision on home quarantine is "arbitrary" and will "seriously harm" people in the national capital.