Daily Times

The country is experiencing a steady decline in Covid-19 hospital admissions, thus prompting the resumption of regular health services at hospitals and clinics across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Like other department in the province, the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI), Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) also begins Outpatient Department (OPD) on 1st Sept 2020.

The press release shared by the Public Relation Officer of the hospital narrated that the Board of governors has issued directives to re-function the OPD services across MTI KTH. However, the management has taken all the steps for resuming the services as per Board of Governors (BOG) directives.

According to the press release, the hospital services resumed OPDs on limited scale to benefit the patients across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while the administration decided that the service will be extended, if the downtrend in Covid-19 cases continued.

The government has also allowed reopening of private clinics and hospitals with Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs). According to the SOP, the relevant administrations will adhere social distancing measures and wearing facemask. The hospital will ensure, one patient one attended policy which will be strictly implemented in the hospital to minimize the risk of COVID19 pandemic.

The press release further explains that there will be two screening triages in which one in A & E Dept and other in old male OPD while Cardiology, Pulmonology, Dermatology, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, otolaryngology (ENT) will be conducting their OPD in their respective wards.

Keeping in view the OPD slip for patient, the Ophthalmology, otolaryngology (ENT), Gynecology & obstetrics, Medicine, Urology, Neurosurgery, PAEDS Surgery, Orthopedic, General Surgery & Pediatrics triage screening will be facilitated on main OPD slip counters while Cardiology, Pulmonology, Dermatology & Psychiatry, Nephrology & Plastic surgery triage screening & OPD slip will be made from A&E counters.

Furthermore, the General Surgery, Pediatrics, PAED surgery, Nephrology & plastic surgery OPD will be conducted at their old place whereas Orthopedic, Urology, Neurosurgery will be functional in old main OPD building. Moreover, Gynecology & Obstetrics OPD with Ultrasound will be in female general OPD whereas Medicine OPD in male general OPD of the hospital.

The document claim that Institute based practice services will also be restored soon while Tele-Medicine OPD services are closed. The service was launch in the province counseling patients remotely, who otherwise require regular visits at private practices.

On March 31, the government had ordered closure of OPDs and elective services due to surge in Covid-19 cases that affected about 150,000 patients, who visited about 1,500 on average per day across government-run hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the update on COVID19, six thousand healthcare workers (HCWS) have been infected with novel corona-virus (COVID-19) in the country while 78 died since the pandemic emerged. The HCWs include 4,259 doctors, 803 nurses and 1,933 other health staff.

On Provincial level, twenty HCWs died in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 11 in Punjab, seven in Balochistan, five in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), nine in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and three in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) while 1,626 doctors have been infected with the virus in Sindh, 1,037 in KP, 626 in Punjab, 402 in Islamabad, 389 in Balochistan, 93 in GB and 86 in AJK.

Recently, The National Command & Operation Center (NCOC) shared details claim that total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan are 8,833 and 23,483 tests were conducted in the previous 24 hours. In Sindh 6,337, Punjab 9,939, KP 2,929, ICT 3,626, Balochistan 167, GB 295, and in AJK 190 tests were conducted.

NCOC data also narrated that 279,937 people recovered so far across Pakistan making it a significant count and there is no patient on ventilator in AJK, GB & Balochistan. the report explain that 110 ventilators were occupied across Pakistan out of 1,920 ventilators allocated for COVID-19.

In Pakistan, a total of 295,053 cases were detected so far (AJK 2,277, Balochistan 12,742, GB 2,816, ICT 15,578, KP 35,923, Punjab 96,636, and Sindh 129,081).

On deaths, the NCOC details claim that 6,283 people died so far including 2,394 in Sindh, Punjab: 2,195, KP 1,250, ICT 175, Balochistan 141, GB 67 and AJK 61.