NEW DELHI: More than 120 patients were admitted to the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Covid Care Centre (SPCCC) set up at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi on the first day, which was made operational on Monday.The facility, located in Chattarpur, has been opened as the coronavirus cases in Delhi have increased sharply.
“On day one, 123 patients were admitted. SPCCC will provide treatment free of cost. No walk-in admissions will be made and patients are being taken on reference by the district surveillance officers (DSO). In case, one is needed to be admitted to an ICU later, will soon be shifted to Guru Tegh Bahadur or Safdarjung hospital from here,” Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said.
As the facility started receiving patients on Monday morning, chaos was witnessed at the site as some patients reached there with requisite DSO recommendation. Their general complaints were that DSO and other concerned authorities were not reachable. A brief standard operating procedure (SOP) issued on Sunday said patients after getting a reference from a DSO will report at the reception of the SPCCC and after initial documentation, their physical examination will be done and subsequently, they will be admitted.
Despite attempts, the concerned district administration official couldn’t be reached for the comment. The border guarding force, ITBP has been designated by the union home ministry as the nodal agency to run the facility.
The helpline numbers of SPCCC are: 011-26655547/48/49 and 011-26655949/69.
On Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the facility and thanked the Central government for providing doctors and medical staff at the centre, which has 500 oxygen-supported beds. Kejriwal said 200 ICU beds will be arranged.
“Visited the Radha Soami facility this morning, 500 oxygen beds start today. More beds will be added in the next few days. We will also start 200 ICU beds here. Grateful to Babaji for helping us. Thank you Central government for providing doctors and medical staff of ITBP,” Kejriwal tweeted after the visit. The SPCCC was made operational in July last year and shut in February this year as coronavirus infections declined in the national capital.
Meanwhile, kin of some patients alleged that they were refused admission at the Centre as they were not resident of Delhi and they were not carrying recommendation of the DSO.