Post Holi, Lucknow’s KGMU to impose restriction on number of patients at OPD

LUCKNOW After Holi, patients who want to see a doctor at the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) will need to have an RT-PCR Covid negative report and an online appointment

LUCKNOW After Holi, patients who want to see a doctor at the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) will need to have an RT-PCR Covid negative report and an online appointment.

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The medical university has decided to restrict the number of patients in its OPD from Tuesday in wake of rising Covid cases.

“Now 150 patients, instead of 250, will be seen in the general OPD for all departments while 75 will be allowed in cardiology and neurology,” said Dr D Himanshu, medical superintendent, KGMU.

These restrictions were implemented in October 2020 when OPDs were restarted after being closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic. In January, more patients were seen without a Covid report and patients were allowed to take an OPD slip from counters.

“The crowd has gone up manifold at the counters, hence it has become necessary to make online registration mandatory,” he said.

“In a day, at least 30 departments run the OPD. With no restrictions, the number of patients in OPD had gone up to 400 in some departments such as neurosurgery,” said Dr Manish Bajpayee, in-charge of the OPD at KGMU.

Patients unable to get online appointment will be helped by a help desk and those coming without Covid report will be assisted to get the test done, he added.

The KGMU was performing over 200 surgeries a day, but with restrictions on OPD the number will go down, and patients will have to wait for non-emergency surgeries. However, emergency surgeries (road accident, complicated delivery and others) will continue as usual.