The Delhi government, in view of the increasing number of coronavirus cases, has decided to attach and turn five luxury hotels into hospital wards to increase the number of beds available. The five hotels, which are situated near as many hospitals, will now act as a part of the respective hospitals.
In an order, Health and Family Welfare Secretary Padmini Singla attached Hotel Crown Plaza in Okhla with the Batra Hospital and Research Centre, the Hotel Surya in New Friends Colony with the Indraprastha Apollo hospital, Hotel Siddharth in Rajendra Place with Dr B.L. Kapur Memorial Hospital, Hotel Jivitesh in Pusa Road with the Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital, and Hotel Sheraton in Saket with Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital.
The order said the decision has been taken to augment Covid hospitals facility by 1,000 beds. “The hotels be requisitioned by the District Magistrate and given to attached hospitals for converting them into extended Covid hospital wherein the medical services shall be provided by the attached identified Covid private hospital,” the order said.
It said the attached private hospital should admit Covid-19 positive patients in their extended Covid Hospital as per the patient’s medical condition and in case, such patients turn severe at any point of time during their stay in the hotel, “he/ she shall be transferred/ admitted in the attached private hospital at its scheduled rates”. The attached private hospital is required to provide sufficient manpower (nurses and doctors) as per the norms.
“Further, the attached hospital is also required to provide oxygen supply, either in the form of oxygen concentrator or oxygen cylinder, in the extended Covid Hospital in case a patient requires oxygen support.” The order said the attached hospital should provide all consumables like PPE kits, N-95 Mask, gloves, medicines and equipment like pulse-oximeter, thermometer, oxygen concentrator/cylinder, etc. “They shall also make necessary arrangements to provide resuscitation services — equipment, drugs and medical consumables — in the extended Covid Hospital in case there is a rapid deterioration in the clinical condition of the patient. These hotel beds will be used for non-critical, general patients.
If any patient’s condition were to turn serious, that individual would be shifted to the main hospital building. For patients who chose to avail the services of a 5-star hotel, the charges would be Rs 5,000 a day for each person. The charges for 4-star or 3-star hotels will not exceed Rs 4,000 a day per person. If a patient is shifted to the hospital’s main building, the institution’s own rates would apply. If the hospital wishes to accommodate their staff in these hotels, then that would have to be done at the hospital’s own expense.
The charges for the rooms will directly go to the hotel, which in turn will give all services and facilities like food and cleanliness that they offer to their customers. Apart from this, hospitals that move their patients to these hotels can only charge a maximum of Rs 5,000 per person, per day. This includes the cost of PPE, mask, doctor and nurse among others. If oxygen support is provided, then a separate cost of Rs 2,000 per bed, per day can be charged. With agency inputs