<p>Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences OPDs will see patients only by appointment from June 1. The decision was taken in an internal meeting last week.<br /><br />Also, all counters will be open for patients to access any kind of service. </p>.<p>The hospital decided to streamline the process to do away with patients waiting in queues for hours. <br /><br />However, this also means that it might take over three weeks for patients to get a chance to attend the outdoor patient departments (OPDs). <br /><br />“The new rule will be implemented starting June 1. We decided to streamline this process, so patients do not have to go back home without a check-up on a given day. <br /><br />Usually there are quotas for each OPD, beyond which patients are not attended to. With bookings available in advance, it will be a smoother experience for them,” said Dr Deepak Agarwal, in-charge of the IT wing AIIMS.<br /><br />At present, there is a 25 per cent quota on a day when patients are checked on a first-come-first-serve basis. <br /><br />In February, AIIMS authorities had launched a pilot project at the Rajkumari Amrita Kaur OPD block, where patients were being seen after they sought appointments. <br /><br />Currently, the closest date available for the ENT OPD is June 4. <br /><br />However, OPD departments like surgery, medicine and paediatrics see milder rush. Patients can currenty walk in into these OPDs with tokens. <br /><br />“There is a cap of 200 new patients in the ENT department daily. The same number of old patients come for check-ups,” said Agarwal.<br /><br />The OPDs see between 7,000-8,000 patients every day. The authorities have planned to take extra bookings on any given day. <br /><br />“We have instructed the staff to take 40 per cent bookings beyond the capacities. This is because almost the same percentage of patients drop out on a day when prior bookings are done,” said Agarwal.<br /><br />Appointment services will also be extended to X-rays, CT-scans and ultrasonography.<br /><br />With counters catering to different departments, patients in this sprawling campus are always at a loss. Reshma, a Badarpur resident, said, “I am in the hospital from 9.30 am. It is past one and I still haven’t been able to figure out which counter to go to for my X-ray reports. It is such a hassle cluelessly running from one counter to another.”<br /><br />The hospital is planning to put an end to the woes of patients starting next month. “We are aware how hassled patients feel in this process. <br /><br />So a single window will give information regarding all OPDs, including radiology reports,” said Agarwal.<br /><br />The hospital is also in the process of floating a tender for a call centre and make online booking available.<br /><br />“This will come at a later stage. Patients will be sent confirmation messages once they take an appointment. We will also communicate with them through e-mails. Currently, we are noting down the phone numbers of patients taking appointments,” said Agarwal.<br /></p>
<p>Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences OPDs will see patients only by appointment from June 1. The decision was taken in an internal meeting last week.<br /><br />Also, all counters will be open for patients to access any kind of service. </p>.<p>The hospital decided to streamline the process to do away with patients waiting in queues for hours. <br /><br />However, this also means that it might take over three weeks for patients to get a chance to attend the outdoor patient departments (OPDs). <br /><br />“The new rule will be implemented starting June 1. We decided to streamline this process, so patients do not have to go back home without a check-up on a given day. <br /><br />Usually there are quotas for each OPD, beyond which patients are not attended to. With bookings available in advance, it will be a smoother experience for them,” said Dr Deepak Agarwal, in-charge of the IT wing AIIMS.<br /><br />At present, there is a 25 per cent quota on a day when patients are checked on a first-come-first-serve basis. <br /><br />In February, AIIMS authorities had launched a pilot project at the Rajkumari Amrita Kaur OPD block, where patients were being seen after they sought appointments. <br /><br />Currently, the closest date available for the ENT OPD is June 4. <br /><br />However, OPD departments like surgery, medicine and paediatrics see milder rush. Patients can currenty walk in into these OPDs with tokens. <br /><br />“There is a cap of 200 new patients in the ENT department daily. The same number of old patients come for check-ups,” said Agarwal.<br /><br />The OPDs see between 7,000-8,000 patients every day. The authorities have planned to take extra bookings on any given day. <br /><br />“We have instructed the staff to take 40 per cent bookings beyond the capacities. This is because almost the same percentage of patients drop out on a day when prior bookings are done,” said Agarwal.<br /><br />Appointment services will also be extended to X-rays, CT-scans and ultrasonography.<br /><br />With counters catering to different departments, patients in this sprawling campus are always at a loss. Reshma, a Badarpur resident, said, “I am in the hospital from 9.30 am. It is past one and I still haven’t been able to figure out which counter to go to for my X-ray reports. It is such a hassle cluelessly running from one counter to another.”<br /><br />The hospital is planning to put an end to the woes of patients starting next month. “We are aware how hassled patients feel in this process. <br /><br />So a single window will give information regarding all OPDs, including radiology reports,” said Agarwal.<br /><br />The hospital is also in the process of floating a tender for a call centre and make online booking available.<br /><br />“This will come at a later stage. Patients will be sent confirmation messages once they take an appointment. We will also communicate with them through e-mails. Currently, we are noting down the phone numbers of patients taking appointments,” said Agarwal.<br /></p>
