‘We have to analyse many aspects before its implementation’

For many people, the outpatient clinic is the first point of contact with a hospital. As clinical management moves from the in-patient setting, to day care and outpatient basis, it is taking on much greater importance. To lessen overcrowding in regular OPDs and obtain better patient satisfaction, OPDs in evening are conceptualised.

However, in government institutions where we have most of the competent specialists under one roof, this measure of evening OPD may have many caveats to look for, keeping each and every stakeholder in view. We will now look at the possible pros and cons of this concept.

Pros:

•Those who belong to upper and upper-middle socio-economic strata have good paying capacity and can get the benefits of academic and evidence based care of teaching institutions.

•These OPDs can be resource generating and fund raising endeavour for the institution also.

•Consultants and care givers get the advantage to earn more in legal and ethical framework. This will create a sense of economic satisfaction, which is by and large lacking in medical institution /hospitals these days.

Cons:

•Managing paramedics and other supporting staff in already under-staffed institutions is a daunting task.

•Quality of care received by those at non-paid OPDs may be perceived as sub-standard.

In summation, we have to think a lot and analyze many aspects before implementation this in a society which is increasingly becoming litigative and how to work within framework which is overburdened and overwhelmed with growing number of patients.