- After nearly 10 months, AIIMS has resumed nonemergency surgeries. It has also allowed pre-booking of appointments for OPD consultation directly from the counter or online.
THD NewsDesk, New Delhi: After nearly 10 months, AIIMS has resumed nonemergency surgeries. It has also allowed pre-booking of appointments for OPD consultation directly from the counter or online. Walk-in isn’t allowed as yet. Routine OPDs and nonemergency surgeries were suspended at AIIMS in March-end when India went into a lockdown due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. Emergency services were shifted to the main AIIMS, and the trauma center was turned into a dedicated facility for Covid-19 patients.
Dr. D K Sharma, medical superintendent of AIIMS, said the resumption of routine OPD and nonemergency surgeries is being done in a graded manner as the trauma center is still designated for Covid-19.
Some of the beds in the main hospital have been earmarked for trauma patients while others are being used to admit emergency cases involving non-Covid problems,” he said.
Dr. Sharma added that one could pre-book appointments for OPD consultation. “If the doctor feels admission is required, it can be done subject to the availability of beds,” the AIIMS medical superintendent said.
Till last month, admission to the hospital was possible only for emergency and semi-emergency needs. Last year, in August, a 38-year old woman from Kanpur had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court over a delay in surgery by the institute. She suffered from a large fibroid in the uterus and anemia.
AIIMS had replied to the court that critical surgeries were never stopped even during the lockdown. Lok Nayak hospital, the largest hospital run by the Delhi government, was turned into the Covid facility in April. After nine months, Lok Nayak hospital has also resumed OPD services for non-Covid patients since Monday. Sources said more than 50 patients have already visited the hospital. Admission for non-Covid problems hasn’t been started yet, said a source.
Delhi government has also decided to reduce the number of beds reserved for Covid patients in seven of its hospitals from 4,696 to 2,140 as part of the de-escalation process, including reduction of Covid beds from 2,010 to 1,000 in Lok Nayak and from 1,500 to 500 in GTB, health minister Satyendar Jain said recently.
Source: Pharmabox
