Ganga Ram hosp seeks more time to convert Taj Mansingh hotel into COVID-19 facility

New Delhi: Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has sought more time to convert the five-star Taj Mansingh hotel into a coronavirus facility in order to increase the number of beds for patients in Delhi amid a spike in infections.

According to an order issued by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Chanakyapuri on June 16, rooms in the luxury Taj Mansingh hotel in Lutyens' Delhi were placed at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) for using it as an attached COVID-19 facility.

According to sources at the hospital, a letter has been sent to the SDM seeking more time to develop the hospital into a COVID-19 facility.

The Jivitesh hotel has also been placed at the disposal of SGRH and will be ready as a COVID-19 facility within this week, the sources said.

At Taj Mansingh, the hospital has been given the eighth, ninth and tenth floors and it has to work out the logistics and train the hotel staff in wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), maintaining hygiene. etc., they added.

The sources said the hospital will take some time as arrangements will have to be made for routes to bring the patients and demarcating areas for the staff where the patients will not come.