AIIMS Delhi to re-start OPD services from Friday in a phased manner

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi on Tuesday announced that it will begin OPD services from 18 June in a phased manner amid Covid-19.

OPD registration will be done only for such patients who are having prior online/telephonic appointment, AIIMS Delhi stated.

The decision to allow walk-in registrations will be taken later after reviewing COVID-19 situation, AIIMS Delhi further added.

"In view of considerable decrease in Covid-19 cases, it has been decided by the Director AIIMS to re-start the OPD services in a phased manner at the earliest but latest by 18th June 2021 (Friday)," said the notice.

The Head of Departments (HoDs) have also been requested to provide proposed number of new and follow-up OPD patients per day who are to be given online/telephonic appointments.

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, AIIMS had shut down its OPD facilities on March 24, 2020 along with speciality for new and follow up patients. This was done to depute the resources and manpower at AIIMS to manage the crisis. However, doctors were providing consultation through telemedicine and only emergency cases were being taken up.

However, based on the Covid-19 situation, the OPD services were partially resumed or closed last year.

Amid a surge in coronavirus infections, AIIMS Delhi had decided to shut its physical OPD services from April 22 and postpone routine inpatient admissions to contain the spread of the virus and augment resources for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

After a strict five-week lockdown, authorities in Delhi have fully re-opened shops and malls, and allowed restaurants to have 50% seating. Suburban rail networks can run at 50% capacity, and offices have been partially reopened.

"Delhi's top #mall saw a footfall of 19,000 people last weekend- as soon as it reopened. Have we gone totally mad?" Ambrish Mithal, a doctor with a Max HealthCare hospital in New Delhi said on Twitter. "Wait for #COVID19 to explode again- and blame the government, hospitals, country."

Disease experts have cautioned that a race towards resuming business as usual would compromise vaccination efforts as only about 5% of all 950 million eligible adults have been inoculated.

Doctors say Delhi's near-complete re-opening is concerning. The city's authorities have said they would reimpose strict curbs if needed.