AIIMS deliberating new referral policy to reduce crowds

The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) is deliberating a new referral policy to reduce the crowds in the emergency department of the hospital

The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) is deliberating a new referral policy to reduce the crowds in the emergency department of the hospital. The hospital is planning to develop a system through which non-critical patients coming into the hospital’s emergency unit can be referred to 20 nearby government facilities, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

AIIMS deliberating new referral policy to reduce crowds

Officers at AIIMS said that the new AIIMS director Dr M Srinivas has held meetings with the doctors at the emergency department to understand how the move is likely to control the queuing of patients in the hospital.

“A major reason for crowding of patients in the emergency department is a shortage of beds and if some patients who are not critical can referred to another facility, it will be a great relief to other patients who are genuinely in need,” said an official at AIIMS, who request not to be quoted.

Officials said that the management is focusing on the ‘yellow triaged’ patients—who are not critical but require admission—for this referral scheme. They also confirmed that the director is also likely to meet the heads of these 20 hospitals to discuss the possibility of making such transfers.

“The changes are all directed towards improving the facilities at various centres of AIIMS. The focus of all these directions is better patient care—ways in which the hassles faced by patients and their families can be reduced. In the coming weeks more of such directions are expected,” said a senior official of the hospital.

The officer explained that most of the directions issued by the director’s office are to manage the crowds in their centres, which will in turn help improve patient care.

For instance, a major reason behind the arrangement of a shuttle service from Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital to NCI at AIIMS Jhajjar was to manage the crowd at AIIMS Delhi and redirect them to an equally proficient institute. The patients and their families will be provided with transport facilities and the cost of accommodation at Jhajjar will also be subsidised.

Similarly, increasing the timings of OPD was also a step towards streamlining crowds so that maximum patients can be attended to without crowding at centres.

Apart from the orders issued by the director’s office, on the order of the union ministry of health and family welfare and the president of AIIMS, all user charge up to R300 and fees collected for new OPD card (R10) was also directed to be discontinued in all centres of the hospital from November 1.