Allied hospitals’ OPDs, main OTs to remain closed on Eid holidays

Rawalpindi : The outpatient departments and main operation theatres at the three allied hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital would remain closed from Monday to Wednesday in connection with Eid holidays announced from March 31 to April 2.

Accident and emergency departments of the three allied hospitals, however, would be operational on the subject of receiving emergency patients as well as new patients during Eid holidays while indoor patients departments would also be operational as per routine, said Principal Rawalpindi Medical College and In-charge Allied Hospitals Professor Dr. Jahangir Sarwar Khan while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday.

He added that the administrations of the three teaching hospitals have been asked to finalise all necessary arrangements to manage patients at their emergency departments during Eid holidays. Duty rosters prepared for Eid holidays have already been provided to the staff including doctors, nurses and paramedics along with administrative staff at the three teaching hospitals.

He said the hospitals’ performance during Eid holidays would remain unaffected and the OPD patients would be entertained at the accident and emergency departments round the clock. It is important that during Eid holidays, the allied hospitals receive significantly a heavier influx of patients at their emergency departments as compared to routine because most of the private hospitals and clinics do not offer their services on Eid days particularly on the first and second day of Eid. Professor Jahangir said the indoor patient departments at the three allied hospitals would operate as per routine during Eid holidays. The in-ward stable patients who want to spend Eid holidays at their homes have been allowed to leave hospitals however, serious patients would remain admitted in their respective wards and would be attended as per requirement, he added.

To a query, he said the staff at operation theatres at the emergency departments of the three hospitals would remain available to patients round the clock during Eid holidays and senior registrar level doctors would be physically present at the hospitals while consultants, Assistant Professors and above, would be on call.

The pathology departments in the allied hospitals would also operate during Eid holidays to perform important diagnostic tests if needed in emergency. Sufficient quantities of essential medicines have already been arranged at the emergency departments of the hospitals while in-charges of the hospitals’ main medical stores along with other store keepers would remain on call during Eid holidays, said Professor Jahangir.