*Admn working on ways to regulate rush
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, May 8: The Government is going to start Out Patient Department (OPD) services in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu and its associated hospitals from next week keeping in view that several non-COVID patients affected with serious ailments like cancer and cardiac diseases are facing difficulties in getting expert consultation and treatment.
The OPD services and elective surgeries in GMCH Jammu and its associated hospitals-SMGS Hospital, Chest Diseases (CD) Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital and Super Speciality Hospital were suspended from March 25 by the Government as a precautionary measure after the outbreak of COVID-19 and announcement of 21-day lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While no formal order was issued for suspension of OPD services in health institutions across J&K but unofficially these services were suspended as due to imposition of travel restrictions, public was unable to reach the OPDs. However, doctors had voluntarily shared their contact numbers with the public to provide telephonic consultation to the patients suffering from minor ailments.
Thereafter, when the COVID-19 scare increased and positive patients started rising in Jammu province, Government announced CD Hospital and Psychiatric Hospital as dedicated COVID Hospitals for quarantine and treatment of positive patients and Gandhi Nagar Hospital fully dedicated for treatment/ surgeries of COVID-19 patients suffering with other ailments while GMC Jammu was kept as tertiary care COVID hospital equipped with ICU and ventilators.
Sources told Excelsior that till date 68 positive cases were reported from Jammu province but by the grace of God no COVID-19 positive patient reached to this condition that he/she may be shifted to ICU or provided ventilator and the entire infrastructure of GMC Jammu remained unused. They said presently there are only 14 active cases of COVID-19 in Jammu province and all of them are under observation/treatment in CD Hospital. “There is no COVID-19 positive patient either in GMC Jammu, SMGS Hospital and Psychiatric Hospital,” they added.
“Due to closure of OPD and elective surgeries, resentment was brewing among the common masses against the administration for their COVID-19 only approach and neglect of people suffering with other serious ailments like cancer, cardiac and kidney diseases, etc and demanded started pouring in from various quarters to start OPD services in the hospitals,” they said.
They said keeping in view that non-COVID patient care is being badly affected in the UT, Health and Medical Education Department, J&K in a recent order directed hospitals to ensure that routine activities like OPDs, elective surgeries, immunization and other activities under schemes remain functional in the interest of patient care except in those institutions which have been declared COVID only hospitals.
“Following directions from the administrative department, the OPD services were started few days back in all the health institutions except those dedicated for COVID only while the same is going to be started from next week in GMC Jammu and its associated hospitals except CD Hospital and Psychiatric Hospital,” sources disclosed, adding, the GMC administration is working on the ways and manner in which the OPDs can be conducted while maintaining social distancing norms.
When contacted, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo, confirmed that they are going to start OPD services from next week. Few meetings have already taken place regarding the issue. We are discussing the ways to start OPDs so that patients may get required consultation while maintaining social distancing norms.
He said there is fear among doctors also as some cases were reported earlier in Jammu when doctors and paramedics in hospitals came in contact with COVID-19 positive patient and they had to be quarantined and even some of the hospitals had to be closed. “Keeping this in view, we have to ensure safety of hospital staff also while providing OPD services, so proper planning is must and that is we are doing,” the FC added.
Principal, GMC Jammu, Dr Nasib Chand Digra, said they are determined to start OPD services from next week but they have to regulate the rush of patients and take care that social distancing norms are properly followed by the patients in OPDs as no one knows who is carrying COVID-19 virus with them as most of the people reported COVID-19 positive till date are asymptomatic.
“We are discussing all these issues, besides mode of OPD registration as well as logistics and security issues since we have not enough security staff to control any possible rush in OPDs,’ Dr Digra said, adding all these issues will be worked out in a day or two and from next week we will start OPD services.
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