A notice has been issued by the Delhi government for nursing homes and private hospitals to increase the number of the beds in the hospitals by October end owing to the expected increase in the number of dengue, chikungunya and malaria cases over the next three months.
The circular reads, ‘It has been observed that the increased number of cases of dengue, chikungunya and malaria is being reported. It is likely that the number of cases may further increase during the monsoon. Therefore, timely action needs to be taken.’
The new beds that are being added to the hospitals would only be used to treat dengue, malaria or chikungunya patients.
The circular further said that the patients should be charged half of the lowest price category of the hospitals.
56 dengue, 109 malaria, and 37 chikungunya cases have been reported by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi until August 4.
The nursing homes and hospitals will need to adhere to certain specifications that include the floor to bed ratio. The bed sizes should be 80 sqft for single beds and 60 sqft for additional beds with no space for washrooms.