Rajiv Gandhi Hospital to re-start OPD, surgeries from Jan 11

New Delhi, Jan 10 Ten months after the Delhi government-run Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital was converted into a dedicated Covid facility, the institute is set to resume normal hospital functions Monday onwards.

The hospital will resume the OPD functions and surgeries. However, it will be only available on three days Monday, Wednesday and Friday, hospital spokesperson, Dr Chhavi Gupta told .

The move will come as a big relief for people, especially the residents of east Delhi and Ghaziabad on whose border the hospital is located. The national capital had reported its first coronavirus case on March 1 when a businessman from east Delhi had tested positive for the infection.

Besides, a bypass surgery is scheduled at the hospital for the first time after the epidemic disease act was enforced in the country to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr B.L. Sherwal, medical director of the hospital, told that preference would be given to patients who had been followed up by the hospital and are waiting for their surgery there. "The hospital would restart the OPD ward from Monday and would perform cardiac surgery as well. However, preference will be given to those who are already in the waitlist," he added.

Meanwhile, the hospital has still reserved maximum beds for Covid-19. Officials informed that 500 out of 640 beds are still demarcated for the patients infected by the viral disease.

Sherwal said that it is done in anticipation of the surge that may arise due to the mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2. "It is done as a precautionary measure to isolate the Covid patients and their contacts who are suspected or found confirmed with the mutant strains," he added.

The Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, along with Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital, were converted into dedicated coronavirus facilities on March 16 after the outbreak of Covid-19 here.

( With inputs from IANS )