No OPDs at allied hospitals, PIMS for 5 days

Islamabad : The outpatient departments and main operation theatres at public sector hospitals in the region including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and Polyclinic Hospital in the federal capital and the three teaching hospitals in Rawalpindi would not operate for five days, from Sunday (today) to Thursday.

The OPDs to remain closed on Sunday due to holiday and from Monday to Thursday in connection with four holidays announced for Eidul Azha. The hospitals, however would receive outpatient departments patients round the clock at their accident and emergency departments that have been strengthened to accommodate extra burden of patients during Eid holidays.

During Eid holidays, from Monday to Thursday, only accident and emergency departments of the allied hospitals would be operational on the subject of receiving new patients while the outpatient departments and main operation theatres at Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital shall remain closed, said Medical Superintendent at Benazir Bhutto Hospital Dr. Rafiq Ahmed while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday.

He added the administrations of the allied hospitals including Benazir Bhutto Hospital have already prepared and distributed duty rosters for the staff on Eid holidays. I hope the hospital’s performance would remain unaffected during Eid holidays as senior officials from administration would remain available in the hospital premises for monitoring, he said.

It is important that during Eid holidays, most of the private hospitals and clinics do not offer their services because of which the public sector hospitals receive significantly heavier influx of patients at their emergency departments.

Indoor patient departments and emergency departments at the allied hospitals would operate as per routine and the staff at operation theatres at the emergency departments would remain available to patients round the clock during Eid holidays, said Dr. Rafiq.

Elective surgeries would not be performed at the hospitals during Eid holidays, he said. Senior registrar level doctors would be available to patients in the hospital while consultants, Assistant Professors and above, would be on call, he added.

There would be five-day break at outpatient departments and main OTs at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences from Sunday to Thursday though accident and emergency department would continue to provide treatment and diagnostic facilities to both OPD and emergency patients round the clock, said a spokesman at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday.