NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Lok Nayak Hospital and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital have decided to resume all routine inpatient admissions including elective surgeries.
“In view of the decreased need of hospitalisation of Covid-19 positive patients and also considering the relaxations of curbs imposed earlier as announced by the Delhi government, it has been decided that routine inpatient admissions including elective surgeries in general wards as well as private wards in AIIMS and all centers to be resumed with immediate effect on restricted basis as per availability of staff, inpatient beds and OT services,” said an order released by the medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr DK Sharma.
While AIIMS resumed services on Friday, Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital had resumed services earlier. Lok Nayak Hospital and Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital have also resumed routine and elective surgeries in view of the declining trend in number of Covid-19 cases.
AIIMS was the first to stop routine admissions, surgeries, and procedures in the first week of January when Covid-19 cases had started increasing. The administration’s move was a contingency plan to make space for Covid-19 patients.
During this process, the hospital had also moved all trauma care services from the stand-along trauma centre to the main hospital, a move opposed by the doctors deployed in the trauma department of the hospital. Lok Nayak and GTB had put a halt on routine admissions and surgeries as per the government’s order during the second week of January. When the third wave peaked, the government had issued an order to reserve at least 40% of beds for Covid-19 patients in all private hospitals and nursing homes.