Telangana: Government hospitals to start evening OP services

Hyderabad: Expanding the scope of medicare services, the government hospitals will now offer Outpatient (OP) clinic services even in the evening in Telangana. The State Medical and Health department has decided to operate outpatient clinics in all general and maternity hospitals.

State Director to Medical Education ( DME) Dr K Ramesh Reddy in a circular on Friday instructed the Superintendents of all teaching hospitals and maternity hospitals to start issuing outpatient slips from 7.30 am every day and ensure the daily outpatient services to start at 9 am and continue till the last patient is seen. Later in the day, the evening clinics at Government general and maternity hospitals will be operational between 4 pm to 6 pm on all working days.

Officials said that the objective to initiate outpatient clinics the entire day is to ensure that all the patients walking into government healthcare facilities have access to free consultation with the doctor and avail free diagnostic facilities in a single day.

"The blood investigations ordered in the morning should be ready the same day and the treatment should be prescribed by reviewing the investigations in the evening clinics. Laboratory samples collection and report issue counters should be functioning during the outpatient timings," said Ramesh Reddy said.

The DME said that, due to incessant rains, there has been considerable increase in seasonal diseases. As a result, the daily outpatient inflow in government hospitals has also increased leading to situations where patients are forced to make multiple visits to the hospital for doctor's consultation and collect diagnostic tests results. The evening outpatient clinics in all general and maternity hospitals will provide required medical facilities to the patients.