With surging Covid-19 patients, luxurious Delhi hotels are being prepared as makeshift hospitals for coronavirus. The administration has already started the process. The Delhi government on Tuesday linked Hotel Surya with Holy Family Hospital. Then Delhi’s five-star hotel Taj Mansingh was turned into a Covid-19 facility and attached with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. This decision was taken by the Delhi government given the acute shortage of beds. It was earlier said that 5.5 lakh coronavirus cases are expected by the end of July and 80,000 beds would be needed of which Delhi only has a small fraction.
CM Arvind Kejriwal visited Hotel Surya so that they did not face any problem working in correlation with the hospital. The Delhi government on 29 May issued an order and attached four- and fivestar hotels with large hospitals. These hotels were ordered to be an extension of the hospital but Hotel Surya did not accept this and appealed in the Delhi High Court which later gave a decision in favour of the Delhi government.
The CM said, “We are attaching Hotel Surya with Holy Family Hospital and will be doing the same with some other hotels and big hospitals in Delhi. We all know how serious the Corona epidemic is and many people are going through difficult times. It is the need of the hour that everyone should come together. This facility should be operational with 120 beds in the next 2-3 days and will gradually be ramped up to 250-300 beds. In Delhi, 30- 35 hotels will be requisitioned and we will be able to add 3000-3500 beds. Everyone including all governments and agencies should work together against Corona. If anyone thinks that they can deal with it alone, then they are wrong.”
The Delhi government has further issued directions to Taj going forward. The Delhi government in an order issued guidelines. First, biomedical waste disposal will be the hospital’s responsibility. Second, the hotel staff shall be provided with all the protective gear and given basic adequate training. Third, ambulances for the transfer facility will be provided by the hospital and it will also compensate for the shortage of hotel staff. Fourth, the hotel will provide all services including rooms, housekeeping, disinfection and food for the patients. Fifth, charges shall be collected by the hospital and will pay the hotel. The hospital may accommodate their doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff at their expenses after deciding the rates mutually.
According to the government’s decision, the room rent in a fivestar hotel will be Rs 5,000 per day. The patient will give this amount to the hospital which in turn would pay the hotel. A maximum of Rs 5,000 per day can be taken from the patient for all the medical services besides oxygen for which extra Rs 2,000 per day will be incurred.