With the number of Covid cases on the rise in Delhi, the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) will curtail patients visiting outpatient clinics as well as the number of routine admissions, according to the contingency plan that will come into effect on New Year’s Eve. Both old and new patients with existing appointments will receive consultations, only the numbers will be restricted, as per recommendations of the heads of the departments, according to the plan. “There will be no service that will be stopped, however, keeping in mind the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the city, the number of other patients will be restricted,” said a senior official from the hospital, on condition of anonymity. Covid-19 admissions in the hospital have increased five times over the course of the week - from 2 to 3 admission a day earlier to 14 on Thursday, according to the official. “The increase seems like a lot because the number of cases have been low in the city for several months now. But, in comparison to the second wave, this is not too much. The number of cases have gone up, but most are mild and do not need hospitalisation. We are expecting the number of hospitalisations to increase in the coming day but it is unlikely to be as much as the second wave,” the official said. Hospitals treating omicron cases have also reported mild symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and body ache in most patients. The hospital will convert three floors, including the ICU, of its newly created burns and plastic block into a Covid-19 centre. Two floors at its National Cancer Institute in Jhajjar will also be converted for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. Rooms in the private ward are also being prepared for Covid-19 patients. Other than that, one additional floor at the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre will also be converted to a Covid-19 treatment facility, in lieu of which a ward at the main AIIMS building will be freed up for trauma patients. The stand-alone trauma centre had completely been converted to Covid-19 hospital since March last year and trauma services were slowly restarted when the cases waned after the second wave of the pandemic in the city. “Again, the administration has again started moving the trauma services; last year it was located at the old OPD block of the main hospital. Now, that area is occupied by the medical emergency department. Trauma services are the first to get affected when the number of Covid-19 cases increase but from what we have seen there is hardly any decrease in the number of trauma cases even during the lockdown – yes, the road accidents go down but falls at home or injuries from scuffle at home and neighbourhood increase,” said a doctor from the trauma centre. All doctors, nurses, and other staff at the hospital will also be redeployed as per need, according to the plan.
