With the pandemic situation of the capital improving now, OPD at Safdarjung hospital will also be open on Sunday. To begin with, selected specialities such as medicine, general surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthopaedics, eye, ENT and urology will be open.
OPD registration timings will be from 8 am to 11.30 am, the hospital said. “For months, many people with chronic illnesses avoided visiting hospitals because the pandemic was at its peak. Now that the pandemic situation has improved, people are rushing to get checked. Also, there is a significant surge in cases of febrile illness, which is contributing to increased footfall and the extended OPD timing may help in addressing that,” said a senior doctor. The everyday footfall of Safdarjung hospital is approximately 8,000 patients.
“Emergency lab services will be available for patients requiring urgent investigation in the new emergency block. Pharmacy services will also be available in the OPD building,” the hospital said.
The hospital had decided to open the OPD on Sundays for the elderly in 2019. Soon after that, the pandemic struck, and the services got hampered. The new decision is another attempt by the central government to improve health services in the city and address the issue of overcrowding in hospitals.
In a related development, the free drug distribution pharmacy shop of AIIMS will now be open on all holidays and Sundays from 9 am to 4 pm.