The AIIMS authorities here have suspended routine OPD admissions in private and general wards for two weeks in view of the heavy inflow of non-COVID patients in the emergency departments.

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However, general OPD consultations will continue. The move has also been triggered by the recent uptick in admission of coronavirus cases at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 facility, thus requiring deployment of an increased workforce in it, sources said. Routine OPD services to enable patients seek medical advice and consultations, which were recently resumed, will continue, AIIMS Medical Superintendent, Dr D K Sharma, said.

"In view of the need to optimise usage of available inpatient beds for hospitalisation of seriously ill emergency/semi-emergency patients, it has been decided to temporarily stop routine OPD admissions to general wards as well as private wards in AIIMS hospital and all centres with immediate effect for a period of two weeks which will be reviewed after that," a circular issued by Sharma on September 1 said.

Emergency patients, who require inpatient hospitalisation in general wards or such patients who are advised private wards hospitalisation owing to emergency and semi-emergency conditions will continue to be admitted."Notwithstanding above, EHS (employees health scheme) patients will continue to be hospitalised as clinically warranted," the circular stated.

"The decision has been taken in view of increased admissions of non-COVID serious patients in the emergency department, particularly trauma emergency cases, which now comes to the main AIIMS since the Trauma Centre is operating as a dedicated COVID-19 facility. There has been an almost two-fold increase in emergency admissions," Sharma explained.