Evening outpatient department planned at Bengaluru’s Victoria Hospital to meet patient demand | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: The outpatient department (OPD) of Victoria Hospital, which operates from 9am to 4pm currently, plans to extend its consultation hours till 8pm after a directive issued by the state govt.On average, at least 650-750 patients visit the OPD daily across multiple specialties, including general medicine. The govt has instructed the Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) to extend the OPD hours of Victoria Hospital to reduce overcrowding and to improve access to healthcare. “Based on the instructions from the govt, we want to have an evening clinic in our OPD from 4pm to 8pm,” said Dr Kavya ST, dean, BMCRI.
“Even though our OPD is shut by 4pm, we do not send patients back without care after that. They might just have a common cold, but once they arrive at the hospital, one of our doctors will attend to them in casualty room. The evening OPD clinic will be beneficial to address the needs of the patients in a systematic manner,” she added. BMCRI is consulting the heads of all departments at present to draft the proposal, which will be then forwarded to the state govt for final approval. Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao recently said in reply to a question in the legislative council that there was no waiting period for patients in the govt hospital. “Apart from Karnataka, we are also getting patients from neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh with various ailments. There is no waiting time for patients in Victoria Hospital, as of now,” he said. The extended OPD hours may also apply to other BMCRI-affiliated hospitals, such as Vani Vilas Hospital if the state govt insists on it.
