Coronavirus impact: AIIMS shuts down OPD services first time ever

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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 Safdarjung have postponed all nonessential elective procedures and surgeries and the OPDs are being operated in a restricted manner.

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