New Delhi: As coronavirus infection shows some signs of slowing down in the national capital, beds in Delhi's first banquet hall turned COVID care centre are lying empty.
On Thursday, Delhi's first Shehnai banquet hall-turned-COVID centre registered zero patients. However, the facility is open if any patient needs to be shifted. Shehnai Banquet Hall is attached to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, the biggest COVID-dedicated hospital in Delhi.
In the first week of June, when the national capital was registering thousands of cases per day, the Delhi government was looking at a figure of 5.5 lakh patients by July end. As the number of positive cases per day crossed 4000-mark by mid-June, Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government planned to convert banquet halls into makeshift hospitals, a move that was expected to add more beds to its health care infrastructure.
It was then a 100-bed COVID-19 facility was established at Shehnai banquet hall. Since its establishment, around 200 patients have been treated at the facility.
'Doctors For You', a not-for-profit organisation, supported by the Delhi government was given the responsibility of its operation.
On June 24, when Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the facility, it had nearly 60 COVID-19 patients.
"There is not a single patient in the facility, but it has not been completely shut. The centre is still attached to the LNJP Hospital and we will admit patients as per the requirement," Chairman of 'Doctors For You, Dr Rajat Jain, told ETV Bharat.
ETV Bharat spoke to LNJP Director, regarding the transfer of patients to 500-bed COVID care centre at the Commonwealth Games village (CWG).
"The Shehnai Banquet hall had 20 patients till Wednesday night. They have been transferred to Commonwealth Games Village COVID care centre, as their condition is stable. The facility is still attached to the LNJP and will be able to send patients wherever we need it," he said.
On being asked that is the empty COVID care centre is linked to decreasing cases of infection, Kumar said, "Definitely, decreasing cases of infection is one of the major reasons for this. In the last two weeks, the figures have fallen considerably which is a good sign."
Explaining the current situation through the data of LNJP hospital, he said, " Around 1500 beds are empty at the hospital. Earlier 100-110 patients of the corona were being admitted every day, but now the numbers have gone down to 50-60."
Noting that there has been a decrease in COVID-19 deaths, he said, LNJP, the largest corona hospital in Delhi with 2000 beds, has only 491 patients.
Also read: COVID-19 situation in Delhi better than in June: Kejriwal
