New Delhi, June 16 : In a bid to strengthen the health infrastructure and meet the increasing demands of beds in the fight against deadly Coronavirus, the Delhi government has converted Taj Mansingh as a COVID care centre and has attached it with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. "In exercise of power conferred under Epidemic Act, and in overall public interest, we do hereby require the management of Taj Mansingh, New Delhi to isolate all rooms and place at the disposal of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital," an order passed by Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Chanakyapuri, Piyush Rohanakar read. Apart from Taj Mansingh, the Delhi government has also converted five other hotels into temporary medical stations and they have been attached with various hospitals in the national capital. Hotel Crowne Plaza is attached to Batra Hospital, Hotel Surya to Holy Family Hospital, Hotel Siddharth to BL Kapoor Hospital, Hotel Jivitesh to Sir Ganga Ram City Hospital and Hotel Sheraton has been attached to Max Super Specialty Hospital. Ganga Ram Hospital will have all responsibility to provide treatment to Corona patients at Taj Mansingh Hotel. While it has been decided that five-star hotel Pullman will be connected with Apollo Hospital. According to this decision, the hotels will not only provide rooms to these COVID-19 patients but the responsibility of rendering facilities like housekeeping, food for patients and disinfecting of the hotel will also be looked after by the hotel. This comes after the Delhi High Court was informed by a committee of doctors led by AIIMS director Randeep Guleria that it was "advisable" and "infrastructurally feasible" to convert Hotel Surya and Hotel Crowne Plaza as extended COVID-19 facilities. "It is pertinent to note that Hotel Surya has 3 huge banquet halls which can easily accommodate approx 50-60 patient beds and a central lobby which can act as a central nursing station," said the two-member committee of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria and V. K. Paul, Member of the NITI Aayog. "Hotel Crowne Plaza has one Banquet Hall which could accommodate approx 25 beds. These banquet halls can be appropriately equipped and converted into dedicated COVID Health Centres if the need arises on account of acute shortage of hospital beds in the NCT of Delhi," the report said further. It added that as both the hotels have not been designed as hospitals, the guest rooms do not have oxygen supply, patient monitoring devices and nurse call system, accordingly, these hotels are ideally suitable for use as COVID Care Centres. Apart from clinical care, the attached hospital must ensure training of hotel staff in infection control practices, including donning/doffing process and the hospital must ensure availability of HCQ prophylaxis and appropriate Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for all its healthcare workers and hotel staff on COVID duty, the report stated. The Delhi government in its order said, "The patients will be taken care of by the hospitals. This includes arranging the ambulance and disposal of biomedical waste generated during the treatment." The order also said the hotel will not charge from any patient. The patients will be charged directly by the hospital and the hospital will pay the hotel. After the room rate is fixed by mutual agreement, arrangements can be made for the stay of doctors, nurses and other health workers in the hotel. /IANS