Amid surging COVID cases in Delhi, 37 doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital test positive

New Delhi: Amid a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi, the AIIMS here decided on Thursday that only urgent procedures and surgeries will be performed in its operation theatres from April 10.

In a communique issued to all the chiefs of centres and HoDs, AIIMS medical superintendent Dr D K Sharma said a meeting chaired by the AIIMS director was held in the Ramalingaswamy Board Room on Thursday over the need to curtail the operation theatre services for the diversion of infrastructure, manpower and material resources to curb the spread of COVID-19.

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"It has been decided at a meeting chaired by the AIIMS director in the Ramalingaswamy Board Room that the operation theatre services need to be curtailed in response to the heightened need for diversion of infrastructure, manpower and material resources for the prevention and control of the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Accordingly, it is decided that only urgent procedures or surgeries are to be taken up in various operation theatres of AIIMS with effect from 10.04.2021 (Saturday)," it added.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here has also temporarily closed down the routine walk-in OPD patient registrations, including at the speciality clinics and all the centres of the hospital, with effect from Thursday to minimise the possibility of a community spread of COVID-19 and optimise the diversion of available manpower and resources for the treatment of the affected patients.

It said the OPDs and speciality clinics will continue to register and provide OPD requisite services only for such patients (new and follow-up) who have prior appointments.

The respective departments may fix the limits of the daily new and follow-up patients in the OPD for the next four weeks, depending on the available strength of the residents after contributing to the COVID-19 pool.

The recent surge in COVID-19 cases has also hit Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital as 37 doctors at the private facility have tested positive for the virus, and five of them are admitted for treatment, sources said on Thursday.

There has been a spike in coronavirus cases in the national capital over the past few weeks, and the daily case count breached the 7,000-mark for the first time this year.

As many as 37 doctors have tested positive for the virus in the recent spike, sources at the hospital said.

Delhi recorded 7,437 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest single-day surge this year, while 24 more people died due to the coronavirus infection, taking the death toll to 11,157, according to the city Health Department.

"Serving Covid patients at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 37 doctors of the hospital have tested positive for COVID-19. Majority of these corona warriors have mild symptoms. Thirty-two doctors are in home isolation and rest five are admitted in the hospital," a hospital source said.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital has been among the facilities which have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic for nearly a year.

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