RAWALPINDI: The outdoor-patient department (OPD) in District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital will not open in the evening.

According to a Rawalpindi Medical University official, the government had issued directives for opening of OPDs during evenings in DHQ hospitals that were non-teaching hospitals. He said in Rawalpindi, there are three teaching hospitals - Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.

He said DHQ hospitals in Jhelum, Attock and Chakwal in Rawalpindi Division are non-teaching hospitals and the evening shifts had started there, adding that the Rawalpindi Emergency department remained open 24 hours during the week and people can always go there.

The start of evening shifts for outdoor patient departments (OPDs) in District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospitals across Punjab is a good move, however, there is a need to recruit more doctors and staff to run these shifts in non-teaching hospitals, this was pointed out by former chairman of Young Doctors Association Dr Haider Akhter.

Doctors available in the hospital will not be able to manage evening shifts as they were already over burdened with work, he said, adding the government should make necessary arrangements so doctors, especially young ones also get some spare time for rest. Mr Akhter said that hospitals in the province need more staff as the number of patients has increased due to growing population.

“Existing health facilities are less as compared with the population,” he said.

Published in Dawn,June 14th, 2022