ADILABAD: Government hospitals were directed to start issuing slips for out-patient department consultations from 7 am, start consultations at 9 am and run them till all patients are checked. Further, hospitals, both general and maternity, were asked to run evening clinics from 4 pm to 6 pm every day, as per a circular issued by director of medical education Dr K. Ramesh Reddy on July 22.
The move comes against the backdrop of patients from far-flung areas having to wait for a day or two for medical consultations at government hospitals.
In a review meeting before the issuance of the circular, health minister T. Harish Rao took note of the issue and said that the move will improve patient care and ease the burden on the public.
The circular stated that evening clinics needed to be run at general and maternity hospitals due to an increase in patient load at out-patient wards.
Further, hospitals were also directed to complete the blood investigations, prescribed in the morning consultations, by the evening. For this, the labs, and report counters must be functional throughout, the circular stated.
The director asked all superintendents to immediately implement the instructions at their respective hospitals.
