GH’s specialty out-patient facilities shift to MMC building

The hospital is looking at creating spacious OPDs as the existing block is running to full capacity

As a first step towards spacing out its out-patient departments (OPDs), Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH) has started shifting some of the specialty OPDs to vacant buildings of Madras Medical College (MMC).

Most of the departments of MMC, including microbiology, biochemistry and physiology, had already moved into the new college building on the erstwhile Central Jail premises, facilitating the shift, hospital authorities said.

With the college departments moving out, GH now has additional space and is looking at creating spacious OPDs. The existing general OPD block was running to full capacity with over 30 OPDs. Many of the specialties had sub-specialties — such as spine surgery (orthopaedics), minimal access surgery (surgery) — thereby raising the need for more space, the authorities said.

For the past one week, the rheumatology and haematology OPDs have begun functioning at one of the college buildings, which had earlier housed the departments of microbiology and biochemistry of MMC. Soon, the urology and nephrology OPDs will also shift base to the same block, while the department of neurology has been allotted space for setting up a 100-bed ward here. The OPD for haemophilia has moved into the haemophilia clinic, which was already functioning at the building. The nursing college and school are expected to move into the physiology building of MMC.

“GH receives 12,000 out patients every day. By shifting the five OPDs, we will divert close to 900 patients to another building, thereby reducing the crowd at the main OPD building,” said an official.

While the rheumatology and haematology OPDs will function from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., urology and nephrology will function from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. The neurology ward will accommodate patients coming in for electroencephalography and electromyography procedures, he added.

“Work to accommodate the nephrology and urology OPDs is nearing completion. The sign boards have been fixed and we have set up ramps,” he said. The hospital is also working on setting up separate pharmacies for each specialty OPD.