With 67 more healthcare workers, including 35 doctors, testing positive for Covid-19 at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Thursday, the institute decided to suspend walk-in out-patient department (OPD) facilities from January 10.
Patients will have to utilise tele-consultation and will be provided prior appointments if physical evaluation at OPDs is required. PGIMER authorities said the decision had also been taken to prevent exposure of co-morbid patients to the infection.
At present, around 8,000 patients visit the institute’s OPDs daily, leading to a footfall of over 20,000 individuals, including patients’ attendants.
“Overcrowding increases the risk of infection spread among patients, attendants and healthcare workers in OPDs. Hence, it has been decided that tele-consultation will be used as the first point of contact between patients and doctors. Only patients requiring further evaluation and examination will be called to the OPD by appointment,” PGIMER authorities said in an official release.
The orders will be applicable to all OPDs of the institute, including New OPD, Advanced Eye Centre, Advanced Cardiac Centre, Advanced Paediatrics Centre, Drug De-addiction Treatment Centre and Oral Health Sciences Centre (dental OPD).
“More and more healthcare workers at PGIMER are being infected, while the positivity rate among patients is also high. Therefore, the walk-in OPD facilities will remain suspended till further orders,” said PGIMER director Dr Surjit Singh.
{{/usCountry}}“More and more healthcare workers at PGIMER are being infected, while the positivity rate among patients is also high. Therefore, the walk-in OPD facilities will remain suspended till further orders,” said PGIMER director Dr Surjit Singh.
{{/usCountry}}Elective surgeries to be curtailed
Though PGIMER is not suspending the elective surgeries, authorities have decided to curtail their number. “Patients, who have already been given appointments for various elective procedures and surgeries, are requested to re-confirm the dates with their respective departments or consultants before arriving at the hospital,” authorities said.
Walk-in OPDs resumed in Sept 2021
When the pandemic first broke out in March 2020, PGIMER had suspended walk-in consultation and online appointments, and had been providing only tele-consultation. From June 21, 2021, physical consultations resumed, but only after prior appointment through telephone.
On September 6, 2021, the institute had resumed the online appointment facility for OPDs, through its official website, but with a cap of 30 patients per department to ensure adherence to Covid protocols.
Walk-in facility at OPDs was fully resumed only on September 27, 2021.
‘Infected PGI staffers have mild symptoms’
Since December 20, 264 healthcare workers, including 123 doctors, have been found infected in the institute, the hospital authorities confirmed.
A total of 2,367 employees of the institute, including doctors, nurses and sanitary staff, have contracted the infection since March 2020, with some also getting re-infected in the second wave and current spike.
Dr PVM Lakshmi, professor, community medicine and School of Public Health, PGIMER, said, “Doctors and nurses come in direct contact with hundreds of patients daily. Not only from the Covid or emergency wards, staffers of almost all departments are being found infected. All those testing positive on Thursday have mild symptoms and are isolated at home or in institutional quarantine facilities. Almost all of them are fully vaccinated, reducing the number of hospitalisations.”