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Ludhiana: Dope testing facility now available at civil hospital
The new facility will operate four days a week- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday- ensuring smoother operations and better patient management
In a move aimed at streamlining medical services and reducing patient inconvenience, the civil hospital has launched a dedicated facility for conducting dope tests. Previously, these tests were carried out in different outpatient departments (OPDs), causing delays and disruption for other patients.
The new facility will operate four days a week- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday- ensuring smoother operations and better patient management. Reports from the facility will be compiled and sent to the offices of the deputy commissioner and the commissioner of police on the days tests are conducted.
Akhil Sarin, senior medical officer (SMO) at civil hospital, explained the rationale behind the move, saying, “Earlier, the process was very haphazard. Now, specific areas have been earmarked and separate timings allocated for different services so that patients face no inconvenience. The idea is to streamline services and reduce waiting times.”
Rohit Rampal, SMO of the mother and child hospital, added that dope tests are mandatory for activities such as renewing arms licences, and until now, these tests were being conducted daily, except on weekends. “This created unnecessary disturbance for other patients, as the tests were happening in different OPDs,” he said.
Under the new system, dope tests will begin at 12.30 pm in the seminar hall, where a panel of doctors, including an orthopaedic surgeon, general medical officer, ENT surgeon, eye surgeon, psychiatrist, and pathologist, will conduct the assessments for one hour, starting at 1.30 pm. Medical officers will reach the seminar hall only after completing their rounds in the wards and attending to OPD patients, ensuring that routine services are not disrupted.
The facility started on Thursday, and hospital staff reported an overwhelmingly positive response from patients. With dedicated timings and a structured approach, the new setup promises to reduce waiting periods, minimise disruption in OPDs and provide a more organised and patient-friendly approach to mandatory dope testing.
