Delhi govt to High Court bench: To show lower deaths, hospitals reducing number of beds
On Monday, the Delhi Government told the Delhi High Court hospitals in the national capital were cutting official bed capacity to cut oxygen necessity and thus lessen fatality figures.
The bench of Justices Rekha Palli and Vipin Sanghi were hearing petitions regarding shortage of beds, drugs, and oxygen supply when these facts emerged. Further, hospitals, which had required a certain quantity of oxygen, were getting way below the sought quantity.
The two disclosures mean that the coronavirus patients will suffer even more on account of the number of beds in the hospitals are decreasing, although the official death figures from these hospitals might be under control.
“Our entire projection of oxygen with reference to hospitals was through the Central government”, Senior Counsel Rahul Mehra, appearing for the Delhi government, told the bench. He also made it clear that he doesn’t know the “right solution” for this problem. He said he was in conversation with the Amicus and other parties and ‘would surely come out with a solution’.
He said: “We are already reducing it (demand) pro-rata wise. Our demand was 490 MT (for Delhi). Suppliers said they will give 445 and we got 425, so we arranged it as per formula to distribute 419.”