100 rooms in Delhi's five-star hotels now hospitals

NEW DELHI: Two five-star hotels and a budget establishment in the city were made into an extension of Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) on Friday to facilitate the treatment of Covid-positive officials of Delhi government, autonomous bodies, corporations and local bodies and their family members.
In all, 50 rooms each will be converted into treatment facilities at Leela Ambience near CBD Ground and Park Plaza in Shahdara.Besides, 70 rooms have been booked in Hotel Ginger in Vivek Vihar. More hotels could be converted into care centres in the future if the number of Covid-positive people continues to steadily rise.
The government issued an order to Shahdara district magistrate to requisition the rooms and place them at the disposal of RGSSH immediately. RGSSH director has been directed to consider these hotel rooms as part of the hospital and provide healthcare facilities to Covid-positive officials. “Serious patients can be shifted to the main hospital,” the order added.
RGSSH spokesperson Dr Chhavi Gupta said healthcare workers and government employees of all groups who test positive for novel coronavirus would be admitted into these hotels and provided medical treatment on a par with the hospital. “It will work as a morale booster for all healthcare workers and government employees who are working on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus,” she added.
Currently, 118 patients are admitted at RGSSH, which has been designated a Covid facility by Delhi government. The hospital has the capacity to cater to 500 patients.
Earlier, Delhi government had turned hotels and community halls into Covid care centres to accommodate the rising number of patients in the capital. With 338 new cases on Friday, the total number has risen to 6,318.