Delhi AIIMS resumes 'routine inpatient admission’ as COVID-19 cases decline

New Delhi: Almost two months after it closed down its OPD services and admission of new patients, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi on Thursday said that it has resumed 'routine inpatient admission including elective surgeries in general wards as well as private wards in the hospital and all its centres.

The decision was taken in view of fast-declining COVID-19 cases in the national capital.  

AIIMS, New Delhi says it has resumed 'routine inpatient admission including elective surgeries in general wards as well as private wards in AIIMS Hospital and all centres' pic.twitter.com/s56XULBAjf — ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2021

Delhi AIIMS had earlier announced that it will resume the OPD operations latest by June 18 in a phased manner.

Heads of Departments of all clinical departments have been requested to provide a proposed number of new and follow-up OPD patients per day who are to be given online/telephonic appointments, an order issued by the AIIMS medical superintendent recently said.

"In view of considerable decrease in COVID-19 cases, it has been decided by the director AIIMS to re-start the OPD services in a phased manner at the earliest but latest by 18th June 2021 (Friday)," the order stated.

All HoDs have been requested to provide the requisite information within two days of the issue of the order, it said. In an official notice, Medical Superintendent Dr DK Sharma stated that the decision has been taken by AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria.

Meanwhile, the national capital recorded 10 more deaths due to COVID-19 and 158 fresh coronavirus cases while the positivity rate dipped to 0.20 per cent on Thursday.

According to data shared by the health department, these 10 fatalities have pushed the death toll in the city to 24,886. The national capital had on April 3 recorded 10 deaths due to COVID-19.

On Wednesday, Delhi had recorded 212 cases and 25 deaths, while the positivity rate stood at 0.27 per cent. It had on the previous day registered 228 cases with a 0.32 per cent positivity rate and 12 deaths.

On Thursday, 158 cases and 10 deaths were reported, indicating a significant fall in the count of daily fatalities due to coronavirus infection. On June 14, the city had registered 131 cases and 16 deaths. On March 8, it had witnessed 239 cases while on February 22 there were 128 cases of COVI-19, according to official figures.