BS RAWAT
The Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI) has moved the Delhi High Court with a plea against an order by the Delhi government that directed 33 private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of their ICU bed capacity exclusively for Covid-19 patients.

Girdhar J. Gyani, director of AHPI, said the petition has been filed on the ground that the order would snatch healthcare facilities from critically ill non-Covid patients.

“Eighty per cent is as good as 100. No critically ill non-Covid patients would receive treatment due to dearth of ICU beds. It will further deteriorate the situation of non-Covid patients who suffer from life-threatening diseases like cancer or are on schedule for their surgical treatment for months,” he said.

"They (patients) will ultimately suffer or eventually could lose life since they have already been waiting for months to resume their treatment," he added.

Last week, the Delhi government had issued the order, making it mandatory for the 33 private hospitals to block 80 per cent of their bed capacity for the Covid-19 patients.