Corona impact: AIIMS shuts down OPD services first time ever

For the first time in its history, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here has decided to indefinitely shut down OPD services, including speciality and all new and follow-up registration.

The order will come in to effect from March 24.

Earlier, the premier institution had decided to temporarily suspend routine walk-in OPD registration of patients from March 23 so that it could redirect its resources to control the Covid-19 outbreak.

"It has now been decided that all OPD services including speciality services, all new and follow-up patients' registration in AIIMS hospital and all centres will remain closed from March 24 till further orders," the new circular on Monday said.

On Friday, the AIIMS had issued a circular postponing all nonessential elective procedures and surgeries and directed for only emergency life-saving surgeries with effect from March 21.

Centre-run hospitals like RML and Saafdarjung have postponed all nonessential elective procedures and surgeries and the OPDs are being operated in restricted manner.