NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has directed all COVID-19 healthcare facilities and hospitals in the national capital to update the status of bed availability on Delhi Corona App and website "as frequently as feasible".
The directive came after it was reported that many hospitals are not updating status of different categories of beds availability regularly on the designated portal and Delhi Corona App.
ALSO READ| Oxygen supply improved, ensure no patients suffer from shortage: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
"This is creating great hardship to the public who, in the absence of reliable information, are forced to spend time and energy in searching for vacant beds and are subjected to great harassment and agony," said the health department order to all hospitals and nursing homes functioning as COVID care facilities.
The order said that medical directors, medical superintendents and directors of all such facilities are directed to update the status of beds on the "portal and Delhi Corona App as frequently as feasible, but not later than two hourly".
The Delhi High Court on Friday said there was no use of making a waiting list for hospitals beds on the Delhi government’s website or Delhi Corona App as a person goes there in emergency and nobody is going to wait in these COVID-19 pandemic days.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said it will be a counter-productive thing to have waiting list for hospital beds while rejecting a submission by an advocate that waiting list should be updated on the bed portal of the government.
"If someone needs an oxygen bed, it is only in emergency, let’s be very clear about it. Nobody goes to a hospital unless there is an emergency... It is not that if you register today, your number will come in the evening. It is a redundant exercise... Nobody is going to keep waiting in these times," the bench said, adding that there can be a wait list for vaccination.
The high court also suggested that patients from lower strata could be given basic medicines like paracetamol along with steamers and thermometers as immediate COVID help.The bench heard the matter relating to various COVID-19 issues for several hours.
Of the 22,217 oxygen-supported beds for coronavirus patients across Delhi, only 2,257 were vacant around 9 pm on Friday, according to the Delhi Corona app. Only 51 of the 5,612 ICU beds were available, it showed.
Delhi received just 577 metric tonnes of oxygen on May 6, which is 59 per cent of the total requirement of 976 MT, AAP MLA Raghav Chadha said on Friday.
Chadha said authorities received nine SOS calls from hospitals over oxygen shortage on Thursday and 5.1 MT of the life-saving gas was provided to these healthcare facilities. The national capital had received 730 MT of oxygen on Wednesday, the highest so far, which had led to a significant reduction in SOS calls from hospitals
The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the AAP government to treat as a representation a PIL seeking compensation for the families of those patients who died due to shortage of oxygen.
A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh directed that the representation be decided in accordance with the law, rules, regulations and government policy applicable to the facts of the case.
The court also asked the government to keep in mind its priorities, availability of funds and other relevant factors while taking a decision
(With PTI inputs)