Lt Governor Anil Baijal has overruled the Aam Aadmi Party government’s order to reserve Delhi government-run and private hospitals in the national capital for Delhiites, sources said on Tuesday.
IMAGE: Suspected COVID-19 patients wait to be examined by medics at a government hospital in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo
The lieutenant governor is also the chairman of Delhi Disaster Management Authority.
The move may trigger a confrontation between the AAP dispensation and the LG office.
On Sunday, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced that the hospitals run by the Delhi government and private entities will only treat Delhiites during the coronavirus crisis.
He had cited the report of a panel which stated that Delhi will need 15,000 beds by the end of June and if people of other states are allowed to get treatment, all beds here will be occupied within just three days.
The panel had been appointed by the Delhi government to guide it on healthcare infrastructure augmentation and overall preparedness of hospitals to battle COVID-19 in the national capital.