PIMS mulls reopening OPDs from next week

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has decided to reopen its outpatient departments (OPDs) of four departments from August 17, The Pims Spokesperson Dr Waseem Khawaja confirmed on Tuesday.

As many as four OPDs - Burn Centre, Mother and Child Hospital, Children Hospital and Cardiac Centre will be made functional by coming Monday, he said.

The official said that the main OPD of the healthcare facility would be reopened later as the renovation work was underway there.

Dr Khawaja said that as a stopgap measure, the management is mulling to shift the OPD to an emergency department or pathological laboratory.

As a preventive measure against the spread of Covid-19, the Pims’ management had decided to shut down its OPDs in late March.

With the hospital hosting an isolation and treatment ward for Covid-19 patients, officials explained that this decision was taken to restrict the influx of people at the healthcare facility.

The closure of free consultancy service had caused immense problems for the people coming to the largest tertiary care health facility in Islamabad.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2020.