OPDs closed, PGIMER starts telephonic consultation for outpatient medical care

Registration schedule put up on the institute’s website, www.pgimer.edu.in.

Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) will start telephonic consultation services to provide assistance to patients seeking outpatient medical care from Monday.

“Non-Covid patients will receive medical advice and treatment over the telephone. This way, patients will not have to commute and congregation in OPDs will also be avoided,” an official statement by PGIMER said.

THE PROCESS

To avail the tele-consultation services, patients will have to call the dedicated telephone numbers of respective OPD centres, between 8am to 9am, for registration on particular OPD days (Monday to Saturday, except holidays) as per the existing schedule, which has been put up on the institute’s website, www.pgimer.edu.in.

Once the registration process is complete, patients will receive a call from the respective specialty doctors between 10am and 5pm.

“Patients have been requested to provide a functional mobile number, preferably with WhatsApp facility, during the registration for ease of communication with doctors,” officials said.

“These services are only for telephonic consultations and opening of physical OPD services will be announced separately,” they said.

CARDIO DEPT STARTED SERVICE IN APRIL

The tele-cardiology services started by cardiology department since April receives around 80 calls per day.

Head of the cardiology department, Dr Yash Paul Sharma, said the department had started the tele-cardiology and virtual conferencing OPD on April 21.

“We started this OPD especially for patients with heart failure, CAD, post PCI, and post devices. Initially, it was advertised on PGIMER’s cardiology website and communicated via social media and radio,” he added.

The tele-cardiology is conducted on regular OPD days of the consultants, who attend calls in their offices.

The phone numbers of the consultants as well as residents, along with the OPD days, are available on PGIMER’s website.

Sharma said the emergency number, 708-700-9218, had also been circulated for 24X7 emergency consultations.

“The number of calls received per day has increased from 20 to 30 calls per day to around 80 calls recently. The maximum number of calls received was 86 on May 13,” he added.

“The tele-consultation schedule has remained the same with consultants attending and giving consultations as per their regular OPD days,” he said.

LIST OF TELEPHONE NUMBERS FOR TELE-CONSULTATION REGISTRATION

Centre Telephone number

New OPD

0172-2755991

Advanced Eye Centre (AEC) & DDTC

0172-2755992

Advanced Cardiac Centre (ACC)

0172-2755993

Advanced Paediatric Centre (APC)

0172-2755994

Oral Health Sciences (OHSC)

0172-2755995