OPDs to remain closed from Tuesday to Thursday

Rawalpindi : The outpatient departments of the three allied hospitals in town along with all public sector hospitals in the region would not operate during Eid holidays, from August 21 to 23 however the accident and emergency departments of all teaching hospitals would remain operational during Eid holidays and would receive both the OPD and emergency patients.

The main operation theatres shall also remain closed during holidays and routine surgeries would not be performed while OTs at the emergency departments would be operational as per routine. Admissions of patients to the hospitals would be done through emergency departments only from Tuesday to Thursday.

The emergency departments of the allied hospitals including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital have been strengthened further to accommodate all the patients visiting the hospitals during Eid holidays.

According to administrations of the allied hospitals, the indoor patients in all departments who would be staying in the hospitals during Eid holidays would be managed as per routine while all necessary laboratory tests would be conducted within the hospitals as per routine.

The emergency surgical procedures would be carried out at the emergency departments as per requirement while senior registrar level doctors would remain on duty at the three allied hospitals and the patients visiting emergency department of the hospital would have to face no difficulty, said Medical Superintendent at DHQ Hospital Dr. Khalid Randhawa while talking to ‘The News’ on Sunday.

Dr. Randhawa who has additional charge of the seat of MS BBH added duty rosters of the staff including doctors, nurses, paramedics and administrative staff that would be on duty at the hospitals during Eid holidays have already been prepared and distributed.

He added that additional medical superintendents and deputy medical superintendents would remain on duty during holidays in all three shifts while the medical superintendents of the teaching hospitals would not leave their duty stations. Assistant professors in all departments would be on call, he said.

Rawalpindi Medical University and the allied hospitals have already made arrangements on the subject of availability of medicines in emergency departments however, in case of some crises, the allied hospitals may open main medical stores and for the purpose, the in-charges of all main medical stores would remain on call during Eid holidays, he said.

He said all ambulances at the allied hospitals would remain on alert and the hospitals are fully prepared to deal with any kind of disaster during the holidays.