Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 26
The PGI has decided to resume physical OPDs from November 2. To ensure social distancing, each OPD will cater to a fixed number of 50 patients.
However, the number of patients visiting the OPDs will be increased or decreased as per the situation. The institute has decided that all patients, who visit the OPDs without a prior appointment, will be attended to through tele-consultation. The departments that are operating special clinics and general OPDs will decide on the number of patients to be attended.
Engg section to complete works
The engineering section has been requested to complete any pending work in the newly prepared holding area for patients and all departments have been requested to intimate the person/wing concerned if any infrastructural modifications are required in their OPD areas. A meeting with the security wing of the PGI will be arranged to discuss crowd-control measures.
The timings for the registration for tele-consultation will be from 8 am to 9.30 am. The departments of general surgery, internal medicine, paediatric medicine, gynaecology and ophthalmology will start daily OPDs.
The OPDs will function as per the existing schedule and the focus will be on limiting the number of patients and crowd control. It was further decided that tele-consultation services will continue and these will also act as the point of getting appointments to visit the OPDs. Patients evaluated through tele-consultation and requiring physical examination will be called to the PGI on an appointment basis.
All departments providing tele-consultation will write a date of appointment on the tele-consultation OPD cards of the patients. The appointments will be scheduled as per the recommendations of the department in hourly slots and intimation about it will be sent through an SMS on the registered mobile number of the patient.
A decision was also taken to provide PPE kits to various cadres of healthcare workers in the OPDs for the second phase. The Department of Community Medicine has been entrusted with the responsibility of initiating a screening system for patients, who would be asked to visit the OPDs in person.
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