A day after testing negative for COVID-19, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said that L-G Anil Baijal¡¯s order on hospitals accessible to everyone living in Delhi would be implemented amid a political slugfest in the national capital even as coronavirus cases continue to rise.
Kejriwal said, "L-G's directives will be implemented in letter and spirit, this is not the time for disagreements or arguments.¡±
¡°In SDMA¡¯s meeting yesterday, the numbers that were presented showed that by June 15 will be having 44,000 coronavirus cases, June 30 ¨C 1 lakh, July 15 ¨C 2.15 lakh cases. For everyone¡¯s safety, promoting social distancing and usage of masks has to be a ¡®jan andolan¡¯ (people¡¯s movement), just like the odd-even scheme,¡± he said.
Kejriwal added that Delhi needs about 1.5 lakh beds by July and added that he will personally oversee stadiums being turned into quarantine centres.
¡°In normal times, 50 per cent of patients come from outside Delhi for treatments. So going by that calculation, we need about 1.5 lakh beds by July. I will personally oversee stadiums being turned into quarantine centres. In the last eight days, Delhi hospitals admitted 1,900 people. Around 4,200 beds are vacant in hospitals,¡± Kejriwal said.
After officials from the Centre said that there is no community transmission in India, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia reiterated that the AAP government is prepared for the worst and was preparing to minimise the damage.
The deputy CM had earlier said that he estimated there might be 5.5 lakh coronavirus cases in the city by July 31.
Earlier, Kejriwal courted controversy for saying that Delhi hospitals will be reserved for Delhi residents only. His statement was severely criticised.
Later, LG Baijal cited a Delhi High Court ruling and said, ¡°The Delhi High Court in a writ petition ¡®Social Jurist, a Civil Rights Group versus GNCTD and Another¡¯ after examining constitutional provisions in details, especially Article 14 and 21, after looking at jurisprudence in this regard, has held that denying patients medical treatment on ground of not being resident of NCT of Delhi is impermissible.¡±
Baijal, also the Chairman of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, made it clear that the Supreme Court has invariably held in several successive judgements that ¡®Right to Health¡¯ is an integral part of ¡®Right to Life¡¯ under Article 21 of the Constitution.
¡°In exercise of powers conferred under Section 18(3) of the Disaster Management Act, the undersigned in his capacity as the Chairperson of the DDMA, hereby directs all departments and authorities concerned of NCT of Delhi, to ensure that monitoring / treatment is not denied to any patient on the ground of not being a resident of NCT of Delhi,¡± the order said.
Baijal had also overruled the AAP government¡¯s order allowing COVID-19 test for only symptomatic patients.