Saturday, 16 NOVEMBER 2024 | MANSI BHAMBRI | DEHRADUN
Suffering due to the unavailability of OPD services at Deen Dayal Upadhyay district hospital due to the Guru Nanak Jayanti holiday on Friday, many patients voiced their concerns, stating that authorities should prioritise patient healthcare. In the past, the district hospital’s OPD was open for half a day on national holidays, from 9 AM to 12 PM in the winter. However, in response to demands from doctors, a change in the schedule at the district hospitals has been affecting the patients. Patients have expressed their worries about this decision and have urged the authorities to provide OPD services at the district hospital for at least half a day on national holidays.
A patient Manju Bisht expressed frustration at the unavailability of the skin OPD during her visit to the hospital on Friday, which was closed due to the Guru Nanak Jayanti holiday. She said that earlier, OPDs were open for at least half a day on national holidays, but this practice has been discontinued. Coming from the IT Park area, she said that the closure of the OPD services at the hospital wasted her time and suggested that authorities reconsider keeping hospital services available for patients for half a day on national holidays.
A patient’s attendee Ayush Chandra, who had brought his mother for a check-up, was disappointed to find the hospital OPD services closed due to the holiday. He stressed that the closure did not align with the importance of prioritising patients’ health and suggested that hospitals should be open for half a day on national holidays. He opted not to visit the emergency ward as an alternative.
Various other patients voiced similar concerns about the shift from a half-day holiday to a full day holiday at hospitals. Regarding this, the medical superintendent at the district hospital Dr VS Chauhan acknowledged that in the past, OPD services were available for half a day on national holidays. However, due to persistent requests from doctors for a full day off on national holidays, the state doctors union recently stressed that all state hospitals close for the entire day on such occasions. As a result, the district hospital OPD was shut on Friday. Chauhan assured patients that the emergency ward at the district hospital remains open at all times for urgent situations.
