Amit Shah orders CCTV for Delhi's coronavirus wards

New Delhi : Coronavirus wards in the Delhi hospitals will have to compulsory install a CCTV camera, ordered Delhi government after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's suggestion.

Amit Shah made a surprise visit to national capital's Lok Nayak Jai Prakash hospital – a dedicated facility for the treatment of coronavirus patients. There have been reports of the hospital not taking care of patients inside the COVID-19 wards, also mentioned by Supreme Court.

After the visit, Mr Shah directed the Delhi Chief Secretary to install CCTV cameras in coronavirus wards of all hospitals, to ensure proper monitoring of patients.

The handling of patients came under scanner after social media reports showing the apathy of people being turned away and COVID-19 bodies lying in the hospital corridors.

On Friday, the Supreme Court had pulled up Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Bengal, saying 'COVID-19 patients are treated worse than animals. In one case, a body was found in the garbage. Patients are dying and nobody is there to even attend to them".

The situation in Delhi, it said, was "horrendous, horrific and pathetic".

In the last two days, Amit Shah held a series of meetings with the health officials and Delhi authorities to learn more about the coronavirus situation and handling.

The coronavirus tests per day in Delhi will reach 18,000 in the next few days, the Home Minister said. Most parties, cutting across party lines, had demanded more testing.