Chandigarh: No walk-ins, GMCH, PGI rely on tele-consultation for now

Tribune News Service

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, February 4

Even as the number of Covid cases continues to dip, the city hospitals are still exercising caution when it comes to resuming walk-ins at OPDs. They plan to stick to tele-consultation as the first mode of contact between patient and doctor.

After witnessing a decline in the Covid-19 positivity rate, the UT Administrator on Thursday directed the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32 (GMCH-32), and Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16 (GMSH-16), to resume daily physical OPDs with 50 per cent capacity.

The GMCH-32 has decided to open OPDs in a phased manner. It has doubled the number of OPD slots available for online registration for physical consultations, instead of resuming service to walk-in patients.

Jasbinder Kaur, Director, GMCH-32, said, “If the situation improves further, especially in surrounding states, as majority of patients coming to the GMCH OPDs are from outside the city, walk-in registration for OPDs will also be allowed. The telemedicine and eSanjeevani services will also continue.”

The GMSH-16 will, however, resume physical OPDs in a staggered manner from Monday onwards. Initially, only 50 patients will be allowed to get registered through the walk-in model.

“Our emphasis will be more on tele-consultation and we are appealing to patients to come through eSanjeevani. We do not want a sudden rush of patients at the hospital, considering that Covid cases are still being reported,” said Suman Singh, Director, Health Services, who is also Director, GMSH-16.

The PGI has decided to stick to tele-consultation for some more days and allow patients to come to the hospital only through appointment.

Surjit Singh, Director, PGI, said, “We are going to take a decision on allowing patients to come to hospital directly without any prior appointment next week. Out institute still has many Covid patients and many of our OPD staff is posted at the Covid hospital. We are waiting for Covid patients to discharge so that there is lesser load of patients.”

At present, the PGI is attending to around 4,000 patients in OPDs daily (both physically and through tele-consultation). The UT Administrator had directed the PGI to enhance the daily cases examined at OPDs to about 6,000.

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