Walk-in OPD reopens for Chandigarh residents at GMCH

For now, only patients from the city are eligible for counter registrations, while those from outside Chandigarh will have to go through the screening process via tele-consultation

After 11 months, the walk-in outpatient department (OPD) at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, reopened on Tuesday.

As many as 711 patients were seen at the OPD on Tuesday, including 268 new ones. (Ravi Kumar/HT)

For now, only patients from the city are eligible for counter registrations, while those from outside Chandigarh will have to go through the screening process via teleconsultation.

“The number of patients was comparatively low on the first day. However, it is expected to rise in coming days and arrangements are being made accordingly,” Dr Ravi Gupta, medical superintendent, GMCH-32, said.

GMCH has said that since the threat of Covid has yet not fully receded, crowding of the hospital where mostly immunocompromised patients visit needs to be restricted.

A total of 711 patients were seen at the OPD, including 268 new ones. However, Chandigarh-specific data was not shared by the hospital.

The situation is expected to be reviewed after a week. In the war room meeting last week, the UT administrator had directed the city hospitals to restore normalcy.