OPDs at KEM, 5 other civic hospitals to be open till 10pm

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to keep out-patient departments (OPDs) at six civic hospitals open till 10pm everyday. This will include

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to keep out-patient departments (OPDs) at six civic hospitals open till 10pm everyday. This will include Parel’s KEM Hospital, the largest municipal hospital in the city.

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The other evening OPDs will be at five peripheral hospitals – Rajawadi, Shatabdi, Bhabha hospitals, and two others that are yet to be named. Currently, OPDs operate from 8am to 5pm.

“Considering the growing burden on hospitals, we decided to start evening OPDs. We will start with KEM Hospital, and five other peripheral hospitals are in the pipeline. In the future, we will try to extend OPD hours in all major hospitals,” said Dr Ramesh Bharmal, director of major civic hospitals and dean of BYL Nair Hospital.

“We will start the evening OPD in the next 15 days,” said Dr Hemant Deshmukh, dean of KEM Hospital. KEM sees a footfall of more than 8,000 patients daily. We recently converted a space into a monsoon ward to treat patients suffering from infections and flus. This space will soon be converted into an evening OPD.

The need for evening OPDs was first raised by Amay Ghole, chairman of BMC health committee, in June. “Every day, thousands of people rush to these four major hospitals, which is extremely hectic for the doctors. The evening OPDs will help disperse the crowd and provide better treatment,” said Ghole.

“I have written to the authorities to provide facilities. As soon as we get them, we will start the service,” said Dr Bharmal.