New Delhi: With Delhi surpassing Mumbai’s Covid-19 tally this week to become India’s worst-hit city, the national capital’s health department has released several key guidelines as part of its revised Covid-response plan.
According to an order issued by Delhi Health Secretary Padmini Singla Friday evening, all Covid-dedicated hospitals have been directed to install CCTV cameras in all wards.
The dedicated government hospitals for Covid treatment are LNJP Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, GTB Hospital, Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital and Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra Hospital. Max Smart Hospital in Saket is a private Covid-dedicated hospital.
The order, accessed by ThePrint, stated that the public works department (PWD) has already been directed to install CCTV cameras on an urgent basis to assist hospital management to ensure transparency and proper care of patients.
Hospital heads have been also asked to make sure that footage from the CCTV cameras is made available to the inspecting or supervising team according to the directives of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
This apart, Covid hospitals can allow one attendant of a patient inside the hospital premises, who will remain in an area earmarked by hospital authorities.
The order has also been marked to Delhi’s principal secretary, the lieutenant governor, the additional chief secretary, all the district magistrates, and commissioners of municipal corporations.
Also read: Delhi ‘forced to agree’, Maharashtra says no — states split on MHA order easing lockdown
Help desk at hospitals for patients’ info
The hospitals have also been directed to set up a help desk, which should be accessible physically as well as through phone calls from where the well-being of the patients can be enquired, stated the health secretary in the order.
The order also stated non-compliance of these directives will be viewed strictly and action will be taken according to relevant rules and provisions.
These measures come amid reports of family members of Covid patients being unable to meet them after they’re hospitalised, besides being provided wrong information about the patients’ condition.
The LNJP hospital, which was the first hospital in Delhi to be declared as a Covid facility in March, Thursday launched a video call facility so that Covid patients could talk to their family members.
Live from LNJP Hospital | Today we are launching a video call facility for Corona patients admitted in LNJP thru which they can talk to their loved ones from outside the Corona wards https://t.co/cfAgTVPf6d
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 25, 2020
With 3,460 fresh cases Friday, Delhi’s total tally reached 77,240. As many as 63 patients succumbed Friday, taking the death toll in the national capital to 2,492. A record 21,144 tests were conducted Friday as against 17,305 Thursday.
Also read: Delhi hospital shut down after nurse tests positive, 3 doctors among 111 new Covid-19 cases