AIIMS restricts OPD registrations, stops speciality clinics amid COVID surge

In view of rising cases of COVID-19, the AIIMS on Friday suspended routine inpatient non-emergency admissions and all routine procedures or non essential surgeries with immediate effect while initiating the process to convert the Trauma Centre into a dedicated Covid facility.

The OPD services in AIIMS Hospital and all Centres will continue to function with restricted registrations limited to only prior appointment patients (new & follow up). ''All speciality clinics to be stopped for the time being and speciality clinic follow up. Patients will be registered within follow-up appointment slots only,'' AIIMS said in a circular.

''All routine inpatient admissions and all routine procedures/non essential surgeries will be temporarily stopped till further orders,'' it stated.

The institute came out with a contingency action plan for functioning of hospital services including rationalisation/augmentation of inpatient hospitalisation facility for COVID-19 patients requiring inpatient admission for requisite clinical management.

A separate circular stated that the Trauma emergency department will start functioning from the ground floor of the old Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (RAK) building, main AIIMS from Friday while the OPD of JPNATC will shift to the fifth floor of the old RAK building from Saturday.