The Delhi High Court has asked All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to look into the possibility of restarting its Out Patient Department (OPD) services in a limited way, in the next two weeks.
A Bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar gave the remark after the counsel appearing for AIIMS said that the premier medical institute “is keen to start the OPD in a phased manner”.
“...We hope that in the next two weeks, AIIMS would restart its OPD services in a limited way at least,” the Bench said.
AIIMS also stated in its status report that it is providing telephonic consultations to patients by fixing appointments in advance. The counsel for AIIMS also said it is providing all the necessary treatments to patients in emergency and is also providing chemotherapy to cancer patients as and when required.
Medicine disbursement
The High Court also said that it was “happy to note that AIIMS is now disbursing medicines prescribed by its doctors to the patients under its treatment from its pharmacy”. It said such disbursement should continue without endorsement in respect of the prescribed medicines for the duration for which the prescription is made.
The court was hearing a plea claiming that patients and their attendants are being housed in Rain Baseras opposite AIIMS, where social distancing norms are not being maintained.
The HC also suggested that the patients who require daily or regular treatment at AIIMS, and their attendants, should preferably be housed at either the Vishram Sadan, or at the night shelter opposite AIIMS.
Others, who do not require such like regular treatment, could be put up at Gargi School, or the Pratibha School, if necessary and if sufficient accommodation is not available at the night shelter or Vishram Sadan, the High Court said.