Re-strategising Delhi’s Covid-19 Fight

The precarious situation in Delhi due to Covid-19 pandemic is the result of utter negligence by those who are responsible for the well-being of the city. Lack of farsightedness among these people has taken away 5,546 precious lives during the last two weeks and many more are battling for their lives at present in various hospitals. In a desperate attempt, the Delhi Government has extended the lockdown period for another week. But it has not yet come up with any concrete plan on how to tackle this lethal virus, showing a total bankruptcy of ideas.

The inefficiency of the state administration at such a crucial period is evident from the latest statement made by the chief minister. While announcing the extension of the lockdown for another week, Kejriwal stated that as the situation regarding availability of oxygen had improved his government would now try to increase beds in both government and private hospitals. But was it not the responsibility of his government to increase the number of beds in hospitals at the very outset of the pandemic? Did he not realise that more beds were required to provide treatment to affected people when there was a shortage of oxygen supply? Moreover, it was known to all that Delhi is dependent on other states for the supply of medical oxygen as the state does not have single oxygen producing plant. It is expected from any sensible government that in-order to overcome such a situation, there should always be enough stock of oxygen in Delhi. But the Delhi government was absolutely mum on its availability before the second wave of the ongoing pandemic hit the capital of the country, hard.

It appears that the present Delhi Government is in desperate need of a think tank to improve health services; the first and foremost job is to create a proper authority to look after health services in Delhi. At present, the health sector in Delhi is in doldrums. There are four categories of hospitals in Delhi, some hospitals are managed by Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC), while some are under the control of the State Government. Premier medical institutes like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are amongst a few hospitals in Delhi which are under the aegis of the Central Government as well as a numbers of private hospitals.

To improve the standard of healthcare facilities in Delhi, a body should be formed to co-ordinate with all hospitals immediately. The empowered body will decide on enhancing the health infrastructure in the city. If it is not undertaken at the earliest, healthcare facilities in Delhi will never attain the desired standards. After thorough research and collection of data, the body should recommend the number of Covid beds required and allocate oxygen to each hospital depending on the number of critical patients to ensure the same facilities are available in all hospitals in Delhi. Such steps are essential to prevent the situation from going even further out of hand and to provide the much-needed relief to the people of Delhi.