As the number of health workers and doctors contracting the Covid-19 infection rises, hospitals have gradually started winding down special clinics, routine diagnostic and surgical procedures and, in some cases, even out-patient department (OPD) services.

Routine work affected

At the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, all specialty clinics, routine admissions and non-essential surgeries will be temporarily stopped till further orders. OPD services in all centres will continue but will be restricted to only earlier appointments, including follow-ups.

“Over 200 staff members of various categories have tested positive for Covid in the last two weeks. A number of them have returned but some are still recovering under isolation,” Dr DK Sharma, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS, told BusinessLine .

Also see: 10% of healthcare workers are Covid positive

According to a senior faculty member in AIIMS, senior and resident doctors as well as nurses are contracting the Covid virus rapidly and routine functioning is now hampered.

“We have had to stop routine surgeries and procedures. Also, in-house patients have to be segregated because they are already immune-compromised. The hospital system is getting constrained,” he said.

Impact across NCR

The situation is similar in other tertiary care hospitals in the capital.

At the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Jai Narayan Hospital (LNJP), attached to the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), new OPD registrations have been stopped. In Safdarjung Hospital, OPD hours have been reduced to two hours on weekdays and up to 1.5 hours on weekends.

“We have stopped new OPD registration. Only follow-up and old patients will be seen in the OPD at the LNJP hospital. We have also deferred planned surgeries until this wave becomes less intense,” an official told BusinessLine .

According to Dr Johnrose Austin Jayalal, the former National President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), nearly 10 per cent of healthcare workers are Covid positive across India. As per government sources, nearly 200 doctors across the national capital are Covid positive. In Mumbai last week, 220 resident doctors across three hospitals had tested positive for Covid-19.

In Gurgaon, around 23 healthcare workers of the civil hospital — including doctors and other staff — are infected and have been put under home isolation for a week.

“A majority of them have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. All of them are vaccinated against Covid. We hope that they will recover in home isolation and will join back after one week of isolation,” Dr Virender Yadav, Chief Medical Officer of Gurugram, Haryana, told BusinessLine .

Also see: Ministry’s new norm allows discharge of Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms after 7 days

Sources said that in every district of Haryana, nearly 10 healthcare workers are Covid positive. However, OPD hours have not been cut down and routine work has not yet been stopped.

Meanwhile, in Jaipur, around 20 doctors have tested Covid positive and all of them have been quarantined. According to Dr Narottam Sharma, no restrictions have been put so far with regard to OPD and other routine work.

Vigilance necessary

In Hyderabad, according to experts, the transmission level has not yet reached Mumbai and Delhi levels.

“The number of healthcare workers testing positive in Yashoda Hospital has not even reached double digits. In Hyderabad, the Covid situation is not as bad as in Delhi and Mumbai, but we have to be vigilant as the situation may change after two to three weeks,” Dr Chetan R Mundada, Senior Consultant Pediatrician & Lead Pediatric Intensivist, Yashoda Hospitals, said.

Meanwhile, in Dehradun, one doctor in the district hospital and seven healthcare workers in Doon Medical College have tested Covid positive.

Also see: How firms ensure output during Covid wave

“Doon Medical Hospital has been made a dedicated Covid hospital now. General patients will not be admitted here from tomorrow and they will be accommodated in the district hospital. OPD timings have been also reduced here. Registrations can only be done till noon, and patients will be seen at 50 per cent strength,” said Dr Manoj Upreti, Chief Medical Officer in Dehradun.

Non-Covid surgeries have been postponed for a later date as well. Meanwhile, he added, no changes have been made so far in the district hospital in Dehradun.

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