JIPMER urged to reconsider decision to suspend physical visits to OPD from April 26

PUDUCHERRY: The local unit of the CPM has urged the Union Health Minister to prevail upon JIPMER to reconsider its decision to suspend physical visits for elective OPD from April 26 to provide focused care to critically ill COVID-19 patients and reduce the risk of transmission to non-COVID patients.

In a memorandum to the Union Health Minister, the secretary of the state unit of the CPM R Rajangam said it is a matter of serious concern to poor patients frequenting the multi-speciality hospital from Puducherry and neighbouring states, particularly those from the adjoining districts of Tamil Nadu.

JIPMER, with its well-built infrastructure and around 2200 beds, at present caters to the needs of around 200 in-patients in view of the pandemic situation and admissions are also restricted since JIPMER is a COVID-19 designated hospital with an intake of around 200-250 COVID affected patients.

There are other government hospitals in Puducherry like Indira Gandhi Medical College & RI Hospital, Govt. General Hospital, Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and other private colleges and hospitals roped in to tackle the increasing load of COVID-19 patients, he said.

It has been felt that the infrastructure and facilities available in JIPMER for non-COVID patients from various strata of society need not be completely shut down even temporarily to cope with the increasing number of COVID-19 patients in Puducherry, he said. They could continue to be operated for consultation and treatment of non-COVID patients as well with due precautions as per the Centre's guidelines, he added.

The present system of regulating 100 patients in each OPD per day could be strictly enforced at the time of issue of registration card itself, so that the additional OPD patients could be checked and the spread of the pandemic could also be kept at bay, he said.

“We think that this arrangement could facilitate JIPMER to review its total suspension of physical visits to the elective OPDs, without disturbing the focused attention to COVID-19 patients,” said Rajangam.

The CPM leader urged the Union minister to prevail upon the JIPMER administration to reconsider its decision to shut down the OPD services in JIPMER for non-COVID patients, so that the poor could avail the services in a limited way and reduce the risk of the virus spreading.