ICU bed reservation: Delhi HC asks AHPI to submit data on vacant beds

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court while hearing a petition by the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI) against the Delhi government's order reserving 80 per cent ICU beds in 33 private hospitals, directed the petitioner to submit data on vacant beds in Delhi hospitals and adjourned the hearing till January 12.

During the hearing, senior advocate Maninder Singh for the Association vehemently opposed the adjournment, and sought directions, stating

that more than 2,300 ICU beds lay vacant in government hospitals.

However, the Delhi government submitted to the court that they had already started de-escalating the number of COVID-19 ICU beds in government hospitals and in private hospitals.

Fortis Super Speciality Hospital, Vasant Kunj, Saroj Super Speciality Hospital, Rohini Maha Durga Charitable Trust Hospital, Model Town and Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital in Pusa Road had already been converted to part-COVID-19 facilities and they now have to reserve only 30 per cent of their total bed strength for Coronavirus patients.

For ICU beds in these hospitals, 40 per cent of their ICU-bed capacity or double the occupancy as of January 5, whichever is more, will be reserved for COVID-19 patients, down from 80 per cent.

The Delhi government, however, maintained that the Max Super Speciality Hospital at Saket will continue as a COVID-19-dedicated facility.

Senior advocate Singh further argued that the reservation policy is against Part III of the Constitution and that the hospitals are unable to generate revenues.

The bed reservation policy of the Delhi government at the time the Capital was battling the third wave of the pandemic and reporting record spikes in cases and deaths every day. At the time, the AHPI had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the order, saying the 33 hospitals where this order was to be implemented, had not been consulted.

But the Delhi government had justified the reservation by saying it was the need of the hour and most hospitals were already willingly complying with the directions.