Working hours of allied hospitals changed

Rawalpindi
The working hours of Rawalpindi Medical College (RMS) and three teaching hospitals in town have been changed for the holy month of Ramazan, according to which the administrative staff of the allied hospitals and RMC would work from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays except for Friday when the administration blocks would be opened from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
According to the schedule announced for Ramazan, the allied hospitals, including Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital, would operate outpatient departments from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. during weekdays. However, on Friday, the OPDs would entertain patients from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.
“We have started following the new schedule for Ramazan from Monday, and the OPDs have been closed at 1 p.m., said Medical Superintendent at BBH Dr. Asif Qadir Mir while talking to ‘The News’ on Monday.
He added the routine operation theatres would also work from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. during Ramazan, however, the OTs at Accident and Emergency Department would operate as per routine and services would be available to emergency patients round the clock.
To a query, he said, the new timings would not affect the quality of services at the hospitals as it is observed that the burden of elective surgeries -- routine surgeries -- is reduced to a significant extent during Ramazan because majority of patients does not opt for routine surgeries in Ramazan.
It is pertinent to mention that every year during Ramazan, the teaching hospitals witness nearly 50 per cent decrease in influx of patients at their OPDs apparently because majority of patients from peripheries do not come to the allied hospitals for treatment of significantly mild health problems.
Dr. Mir said the timings of the allied hospitals have been changed for morning shift only as the evening and night shifts would operate as per routine. He added the samples of patients for the routine diagnostic tests at pathology department of the hospital have already been collected before 1:00 p.m. and timing for that would remain the same. The radiology departments of the allied hospitals would serve patients till 1:00 p.m. for routine tests according to Ramazan timings, he added. To a query, he said the indoor patients department at the BBH like the other two teaching hospitals would serve patients as per routine during Ramazan.