Hospitals told to get more beds for 6 months

With an aim to avert a possible dengue-chikungunya crisis in the Capital, the Delhi government on Friday instructed all hospitals and nursing homes to increase their bed capacity by up to 20 per cent for the next six months. So far, Delhi has witnessed 50 cases of dengue and 105 cases of chikungunya. By this month in 2016, however, only five cases of dengue and not a single case of chikungunya were reported.

“All hospitals, including private and government, and the nursing homes have been asked to increase the bed capacity by up to 20 per cent for six months, so that there is no shortage of beds. No patient has to be turned away due to unavailability of beds,” Delhi Heath Minister Satyendar Jain said. The government has also banned over-the-counter sale of drugs like aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), such as brufen, without medical prescription as use of these may “pose a threat” to dengue and chikungunya patients.

According to sources, nearly 4,000 beds will be added to the existing bed capacity of the Capital. The government has also decided to launch an awareness campaign about the vector-borne diseases.

“We are planning to launch an awareness campaign soon. We have …read more