In normal times, are the paths and corridors of Indian hospitals are full of visitors and patients. But now there is just a handful of people. In the hospital, Lok Nayak in the North of Delhi, only patients with Covid come-19, and suspected cases. With 2000 beds, it is the largest institution for Corona-patients in the Indian capital.

Till Fähnders

Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.

F. A. Z. Twitter

About a hundred meters from the entrance gate of a Station for Corona-was located in a five-story brick building patient set up. The building is guarded by security forces with the mouth-nose protection, the family and visitors by. The families are only allowed to deliver some food and personal items for the patients at the front Desk. But it usually takes hours until the deliveries arrive at the recipient.

According to what former patients and their relatives to reports, the Lok Nayak in its Interior, is currently a place of despair and death. “Anyone who comes out of this hospital alive, the has to give thanks to God, and not of the treatment,” says Devendra Shukla, the ‘ for almost two weeks with Covid-19 on the Station.

The 45-year-old bus driver didn’t want to originally go in a hospital. But after he had been positively tested, made his family Worry that he needed more care than they could give him at home. Shortly after the shooting in the hospital, he had regretted the decision, says Shukla. “In the first 24 hours, nobody takes care of you. Who is in a serious condition, do not survive this time.“

The staff is overwhelmed

The man was in a room with six beds, all with Covid-19-assigned patients. Nurses he had rarely get to face, the doctor of the day, even towards evening. From his hospital bed, he watched as the nursing staff was overwhelmed. “Two women in my room died. One of them had previously been to the hands and legs tightly tied, as she was very restless and not in her bed remained.“

After the death of a patient, it was Shukla, according to ten to twelve hours, until the corpse was removed from the room. With faeces dirty sheets a room neighbour who could not stand up due to an accident, had not been changed for days.

In the hospital, it shows how the Indian healthcare system is being pushed in the pandemic to its limits. The number of infections is increasing rapidly, since the government has started the gradual lifting of the curfew point. So she wants to revive the ailing economy. However, the cost of this policy of Opening up are high. Almost 17,000 new infections came on Thursday across the country – a new negative record.