Delhi BJP claims lack of beds for COVID-19 patients in city hospitals

The Delhi BJP on Wednesday said there was lack of beds for coronavirus patients in city hospitals as it shared a video of a COVID-19 patient lying on the ground outside a health facility, prompting an assurance from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that he will get the matter "enquired and rectified". Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari in a Facebook Live session said the common people are having trouble getting beds for treatment of coronavirus in the city.

Referring to a purported video of a Delhi government hospital, Tiwari said "it is shameful for humankind that a COVID-19 patient is lying on the ground outside the hospital for 16 hours and the patient's family is moving him on their own on a stretcher." Reacting to the video shared by the Delhi BJP from its twitter handle, Kejriwal said he will get it "enquired and rectified". "I will get it enquired and rectified. Thanks for telling us our shortcomings. We have to serve people together in this massive tragedy. Let us know of any shortcomings in our arrangements in Delhi, we will get those rectified," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

However, Tiwari alleged that Delhi government's earlier claims of arrangement of 30,000 beds have proved to be false. In the High Court on May 20, the Delhi government stated that they have 3,150 beds and now Arvind Kejriwal has said that there are 4,500 beds for coronavirus patients in the hospitals, he said.  "Kejriwal says around 2500 beds are vacant for coronavirus patients in hospitals, but when any patient needs a bed, these thousands of beds become invisible," Tiwari said. The Delhi BJP president also alleged that private hospitals were charging high fees from people for tests and treatment of the virus, and demanded a cap on it.

"I demand that Delhi chief minister should talk to private hospitals as soon as possible and direct them to keep the coronavirus test and treatment expenses within a limited range so that poor and middle class families do not face any financial burden." Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said Kejriwal should go among the people of Delhi to see how they are fighting the coronavirus crisis. "He can himself see whether the number of beds  are actually available or not in the hospitals," Bidhuri said.