OPDs, main OTs at allied hospitals to remain closed

Rawalpindi: The outpatient departments and main operation theatres at the three teaching hospitals in town shall remain closed from Friday to Monday (June 15 to June 18) in connection with Eidul Fitr holidays however Accident and Emergency departments and emergency OTs of the teaching hospitals would be operational as per routine.

During Eid holidays, the emergency departments of the allied hospitals including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital would also receive and accommodate OPD patients visiting the hospitals.

The administrations of Rawalpindi Medical University and the three allied hospitals have already prepared and distributed duty rosters of the staff including doctors, nurses, paramedics and administrative staff to be on duty at the hospitals during Eid holidays.

The three teaching hospitals would follow the same protocol and Eid holidays for RMU students would be from Friday to Monday.

Medical Superintendent at DHQ Hospital Dr. Khalid Randhawa expressed this while talking to ‘The News’ on Thursday adding the allied hospitals would be operational during Eid holidays for emergency and indoor patients while special arrangements have also been made to further strengthen the emergency departments.

It is important that the emergency departments of the allied hospitals receive significantly heavy influx of patients during Eid holidays mainly because most of the private hospitals and clinics do not offer their services on Eid days.

The duty rosters of the staff for Eid days have been prepared and circulated and according to policy, senior registrar level doctors would remain available in all departments of the allied hospitals while consultants including professors would remain on call during Eid holidays from Friday to Monday, said Dr. Randhawa.

Like every year on Eid, the bed occupancy in wards of the allied hospitals has become less than 50 per cent as almost all stable patients have already left the hospitals to spend Eid days with their dear ones at homes, he said.

He added a good number of in-ward stable patients who want to spend Eid holidays with their families have been allowed to leave hospitals however, serious patients would have to stay in their respective wards and would be attended as per requirement.

The main OTs and OPDs at the allied hospitals would not operate from Friday to Monday however, in case of some serious surgical procedures; the main OTs of the hospitals may be made operational during Eid holidays, he said.

He added the main medical stores of the allied hospitals would remain closed during Eid holidays however the hospitals have arranged sufficient quantity of medicines for emergency departments.