NON-COVID OPDS AT CIVIC-RUN HOSPS WITNESS LOW FOOTFALL

MUMBAI: Despite restarting outpatient departments (OPD) for non-covid patients at BYL Nair and King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospitals, as the pandemic curve continues to flatten in the city, footfall has fallen below 80% as compared to precovid days.

Civic officials have attributed the drop in patients to fear of contracting the novel coronavirus infection at civic-run hospitals.

“Another reason for lesser footfall is restrictions on local train services since major civic hospitals get patients from far-off areas like Vasai and Virar. Residents prefer local private clinics over civic hospitals,” said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner.

KEM Hospital will start its post-covid OPD by August 19 for such patients, said a health officer from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Before the Covid outbreak, 1,500-bed KEM Hospital recorded 7,000 OPD patients daily, while Nair Hospital received over 4,000 patients.

After Covid-19 struck, the hospitals had to close down their OPD services to avoid spread of the infection. The hospitals reopened their OPDS in the first week of August.

Dr Shailesh Mohite, dean of Nair Hospital, said, “Considering our hospital was a dedicated Covid care hospital, people are still scared to come here for noncovid diagnosis. We are receiving 20% of the total footfall we used to receive pre-covid.”

Similarly, KEM Hospital has witnessed a 70% decline in patient footfall, said dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh.

Meanwhile, Dr RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital, which is a partially-converted Covid-19 hospital, has been receiving the most non-covid patients in their OPD.

“As people are scared to visit other major hospitals, all of them are coming to our hospital for diagnosis,” said Dr Pinakin Gujjar, hospital dean. Lokmanya Tilak General Hospital (Sion hospital), is set to start its non-covid OPD by the next weekend.