10,000 beds, 1,000 health workers under sprawling tent as Delhi govt plans makeshift Covid hospital

Delhi currently has 9,532 beds across state, Centre and private-run hospitals, out of which 5,255 are occupied. There are 1,470 beds in five Centre-run hospitals, out of which 1,186 are occupied; at five Delhi government Covid hospitals, 1,373 out of 4,360 beds are taken; and at private hospitals, 2,662 out of 3,702 beds for corona patients are full.

While the Delhi government has started identifying banquet halls, community halls and stadiums that can be potentially used for putting up additional beds, the largest such makeshift facility was identified at the South Delhi campus of spiritual organisation Radha Soami Satsang Beas.

South Delhi District Magistrate BM Mishra said after an inspection of the centre he has estimated that up to 10,000 beds can be put under the tent, where spiritual congregations are usually held. The organisation has given its consent to authorities for utilisation of its premises, Mishra said.

While authorities are getting the tent, held up by an intricate web of metal scaffoldings, completely ready, a lot of work is required to turn it into a Covid facility, though Mishra said it will not take more than a week to carry out with proper logistical support.

For now, the authorities are planning to create up to 200 enclosures, carving out boundaries with plywood or cloth partitions. “Up to 50 beds occupying 80 sq ft area each can be put inside the enclosures. If 100 enclosures are created, 100 beds will put inside each of those. The tent already has fans. We will have to install large air coolers inside every enclosure,” Mishra said.

Vinyl sheets are likely to be used to cover the mud flooring under the tent so that regular sanitising and mopping exercises become possible. Medical equipment, including oxygen concentrators, will have to be procured and installed at the facility for patients, “who will mostly be of moderate category”.

The Centre has classified Covid facilities into three categories: Covid care centres, dedicated Covid health centres and dedicated Covid hospitals. The first two are meant for mild to moderate category patients while hospitals are for those who need specialised support such as ICUs and ventilators.

The makeshift hospitals at banquet halls and stadiums are going to mostly house mild to moderate category patients with comorbidities who need round the clock supervision and cannot be advised home quarantine.

“Ideally, every enclosure will need two staff nurses while one doctor will have to be posted for every two enclosures. And even if they work for 12 hours, each shift will need 400 nurses, paramedics and 200 doctors solely for the proposed south Delhi facility at Radha Soami premises. Young dentists, private doctors and private paramedics will have to be roped in to cater to such a large demand,” a senior official said.

Besides, Mishra said, there are two large toilet complexes at the centre and a separate building where doctors and nurses can be put up. The lack of adequate toilets is coming in the way of converting many banquet halls and community halls into Covid care centres in Delhi.