In extreme hot conditions with the maximum temperature hovering around 45 degrees Celsius, the Outdoor Patient Department services for the flu patients at the Civil Hospital in Sector 10 here are being run from under the trees inside its campus in view of heavy rush and to comply with the social distancing norms.

While two sets of flu OPDs run from inside tents, another OPD service runs from under a grove with the tables and the chairs laid on the road inside the campus. Yet another set of doctors sits at the entry to Gate No.2 of the hospital running a medicine OPD service for COVID-19 suspects.

Not willing to be named, a female doctor, remarked that she felt disoriented working for long hours in the open in blistering heat. “Four OPDs are run for the flu patients out in the open with each catering to around 300 patients on an average. Though coolers have been arranged for the doctors running the OPD services, it is still very difficult to sit in the open with the temperatures being extremely high and the sun moving,” said the doctor.

Another doctor added that they had the choice to sit indoors, but it was a unanimous decision to run the OPD services from outside to maintain safe distance from the patients. “The patients need to stand in queues or sit close to each other indoors making it difficult to maintain safe distance. Also, when they enter the room they cannot keep the mandatory distance from the doctor. We have tied ropes around the trees to ensure safe distance between them and us. It is safe for both,” said the doctor. He, however, added the administration should make better arrangements for them and the patients.

Ram Prakash, who accompanied his wife, said she had COVID-19 like symptoms and they had come for her examination, but they had been waiting for their turn under the tree for almost an hour. “Though doctors are sitting in front of the coolers, the patients are left to fend for themselves in extreme heat,” said Ram Prakash, an auto-rickshaw driver.

Conceding the staff and space crunch, Principal Medical Officer Deepa Sindhu said the hospital ran a round-the-clock sample collection desk and 100-odd samples were taken every day. She added the doctors from all departments were entrusted with the sample collection duty on rotation since there were only two physicians. The OPD services for orthopaedic, surgery, ENT and eye are run at the civil hospital and the polyclinic at Sector 31. Separate arrangements are made for the deliveries of those infected with the deadly virus at Sector 31 polyclinic.

A lab for the examination of COVID-19 samples at the hospital premises is expected to be functional in a couple of days. After it is set up, 96 samples could be examined in 8-10 hours reducing the time taken in procuring results. The hospital authorities have sought 12 lab technicians, four data entry operators and two research scientists for this. The district administration has decided to procure 20 ambulances, including four with advanced life support system, to transport the COVID-19 patients.