On war-footing to add ICU beds: CM; DMs directed to double test centres

New Delhi: As Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal assured residents that his government was on a war footing to increase the number of ICU beds in the city amid the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delhi government on Thursday directed all District Magistrates to double the number of testing centres in their respective areas immediately.

After a recent meeting with the Centre over the pandemic in Delhi, the CM had announced that daily testing will be boosted to over 1 lakh, of which 60,000 should be RT-PCR tests.

It has been observed that the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing in Delhi and to ensure early detection and subsequent isolation of the COVID-19 infected patients, it is felt necessary to enhance the COVID-19 testing capacity," the order said.

"It is therefore directed that all district magistrates/CDMOs will take steps to double the testing centres in all district immediately. The locations will be finalized by November 19, and actual scaling up will be done latest by November 21. Non-compliance will be viewed seriously," the order reads.

The order to increase testing centres issued by the Delhi health department also said that manpower required for the new testing centres "may be hired from the open market, if required". And as hospitals here start filling up fast, the Delhi health department has also ordered that MBBS students in their 4th or 5th year, interns, and others may be engaged by COVID-19 facilities in the Capital to make up for manpower shortage.

As per the order, all COVID-19 hospitals of the Delhi government have been allowed to "engage fourth and fifth year MBBS students, interns and BDS doctors to assist duty doctors at an honorarium of Rs 1000 (8 hours shift) and Rs 2000 (12 hours shift) per day". For interns, the honorarium would be over and above their stipend, it said.

Meanwhile, while visiting the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital here, CM Kejriwal said his government was doing everything possible to ramp up ICU-bed capacity.

-Interacting with reporters after visiting DDU Hospital, he said the doctors have agreed to expand the ICU beds count at the facility from the existing 50 to 100. The chief minister said his government is working on a "war-footing to expand the number of ICU beds in

hospitals".