OPD care to be slashed from today
Bir Hospital halts surgeries due to shortage of essential mater...
KATHMANDU, Sept 1: With resident doctors at the Tribhhuvan University (TU) Institute of Medicine (IoM) boycotting the Out-patient Department (OPD) services from Monday, authorities at the TU Teaching Hospital (TUTH) have decided to postpone scheduled surgeries. The hospital administration has also decided to provide services only to half the regular number of patients at the OPD from Tuesday.
"We will postpone scheduled surgeries and slash OPD services by half from Tuesday," Dr Deepak Mahara, director at TUTH said, adding that the faculty doctors will provide healthcare services to all follow-up patients. He informed that hundreds of patients have been awaiting their surgeries for months. Patients from across the country visit TUTH for quality care at affordable prices. Doctors too refer patients to TUTH, as it is national referral hospital. Over 1,600 patients visit TUTH every day, according to the hospital.
According to Director Mahara, resident doctors have been providing services to emergency patients, those admitted at the hopsital and those at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from Monday afternoon.
Resident doctors at the Institute of Medicine (IoM) shunned OPD services from Monday to exert pressure on the government to heed demands raised by Dr Govinda KC. The decision by the doctors comes after Dr KC's health started worsening. Dr KC, a senior professor at the IoM, is on a hunger strike since last week, demanding full implementation of the Mathema taskforce's report on medical education reform and other past accords.
Meanwhile, doctors attending him informed that his condition is deteriorating. They informed that his heartbeat has been fluctuating and he has been administered oxygen due to low oxygen saturation in blood.
Meanwhile, members of parliamentary committee on women children and social affairs on Monday met Dr KC and took stock of his condition.
