Drop Covid tag, give others access too: Faculty to PGI

CHANDIGARH: Even as physical OPD services have started at the PGI through telephonic screening, it has limited the numbers of non-Covid patients to receive treatment due to limited telephone lines.
Also, due to Covid tag attached to the medical institute (PGI is a designated Covid hospital that has not more than 40 patients at a time), patients are also apprehensive of coming to the hospital.

“We are not able to see more than 35-40 patients in our OPDs as not all are registered. It is disturbing to get calls from our patients, who feel helpless to get themselves registered for consultation. At times, we ask them to come directly, but this cannot be done for all patients,” said a PGI faculty.
There had been over 10,000 patients at the PGI’s OPDs daily, which has reduced to not more than1,000 a day due to the pandemic. The patients are being called after teleconsultation and cannot walk in the hospital directly.
“I am not able to get through the OPD registration process since the last two weeks. The phone line had been engaged throughout. As I had developed some lung problems and was getting worse, I had to go to a private hospital. It was five times costlier than the PGI, but I had no option,” said a patient on condition of anonymity.
Covid-19 has not only impacted the overall footfall of the patients, the teaching and research in non-Covid area has also been affected. “We are not able to train our students well due to limited number of patients in the OPDs and hardly any admissions,” said a faculty member.
Most of the faculty feel that now the tag of Covid-19 for the PGI should go as the numbers of such patients was dwindling and other hospitals, including GMSH, GMCH and Covid-19 hospital in Sector 48, should manage them. “The PGI is a super speciality hospital that caters to the patients from adjoining states as well. Now that the vaccine has started for health workers and the positivity rate has reduced, the PGI should restart its physical OPDs the way it was earlier,” said a faculty.
Get vaccinated and be on ‘wall of fame’ at GMSH-16
The UT health department will put up a ‘wall of fame’ that will have the names of those people who have received Covid-19 vaccinationon Wednesday. There will be a selfie corner with a signboard at Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector16, that mentions: “Vaccinated for Covid-19. Yes! I have done my bit. I have got the jab. Have you?” There is a space where those getting the shots can sign to endorse that vaccination is the only way to fight against the deadly virus.
849 get jab in Panchkula, 431 vaccinated in Chandigarh
On Tuesday, 849 frontline workers and frontline workers were inoculated with Covid-19 vaccination at three health centres in Panchkula. The target was 600. Chief medical officer Dr. Jasjeet Kaur stated that 799 frontline workers and 50 healthcare workers were given the vaccine . While talking about the overall vaccination, the CMO stated that till Tuesday, a total of 7,526 were given vaccination, achieving 54.8% vaccination. Meanwhile in Chandigarh, out of 1,590 frontline and health care workers, 431 were vaccinated on Tuesday. There were 14 sites operational where out of 450 frontline-targeted beneficiaries, 228 were jabbed. While out of 1,130 health workers, 203 were vaccinated. Till date, out of 15,360, targeted beneficiaries, 6,565 have been vaccinated.