CHANDIGARH: Around 70% fall in elective surgeries has been reported in PGI, while 50% decrease in such planned non-emergency surgeries in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32.
During the pre-Covid times, the PGI performed around 350 such operations, while GMCH 75-80 daily.
“As the patients were not being seen in the OPDs and hospital admissions were based only on emergency services, the surgeries also consequently decreased,” said a faculty member in PGI. He said, “With the passage of time, we will again catch up.”
Most of the patients who had been waiting for surgery dates went to private hospitals. “I was asked for a cyst removal in my uterus two months ago. When I got the date, the elective surgeries were stopped. I got severe pain and it was not considered an emergency. So, I had to seek help from a private hospital, where the cost was three times more than the public hospital,” said Mannat Dhaliwal, a resident of Ludhiana who had come to PGI for her earlier treatment. Elective surgeries can be on hold for some time as they are not an emergency. “The waiting period for surgery in the government hospitals is more than a month. But we were not certain when OPDs would resume. So, we decided to get our mother operated in a private hospital,” said Sukhman Kaur, a resident of Pinjore who had come to GMCH.
A total of 4,226 patients were seen during walk-in OPDs at PGI on Tuesday, while 1,332 teleconsultations were given.
