After exclusively serving COVID-19 patients for eight months, the Visakha Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) will resume regular hospital services from next week.
The State government denotified VIMS as a COVID-19 hospital after the institute requested to be allowed to use some of its blocks for regular health services in the wake of a decline in COVID-19 cases. However, a dedicated 300-bed block is being reserved for treating COVID-19 patients on the hospital premises keeping in view the possibility of a second wave of infections.
VIMS Director K. Satya Varaprasad said that outpatient (OP) services will be started initially at the hospital from next week, tentatively from December 21.
“A number of staff were sent on deputation to other hospitals based on the need. We are bringing them back. Gradually, we will start other health services, he said.
It may be remembered that during the end of March this year, the State government had notified VIMS as one of four State-nodal COVID-19 hospitals. The hospital played a pivotal role in treating critical COVID-19 cases from Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and East Godavari districts.
By the end of October, out of around 2,700 patients who were admitted, nearly 2,400 patients had recovered and were discharged. VIMS also successfully conducted Caesarean section deliveries and normal deliveries of 105 pregnant women who were admitted to the hospital after being affected with COVID-19.
In October, VIMS officials wrote to the State government requesting to allow them to run regular health services.
The last COVID patient was discharged from VIMS on November 16. Since November 17, no new case of COVID-19 has been admitted to the hospital.
