66% surge in patients at Ludhiana civil hospital OPD as services resume

The local civil hospital saw a 66% surge in patients on Monday as the services at out-patient department (OPD) resumed, officials said.
The OPD that usually sees 800 patients every day, was visited by 1,335 ailing people as work resumed in full swing, according to the data from the registration desk.
The services were hit for around a week, including a complete suspension for two days, September 12 and 13.
The complete suspension was followed by a holiday on September 15, further delaying the patients’ plans to visit the facility. On September 14, the doctors opened the OPD from 11 am to 2 pm on government’s request.
Earlier, work at the hospital was affected as the doctors started a partial strike on September 9. From September 9 to 11, OPD services remained suspended from 8 am to 11 am.
The working hours for the OPD at civil hospital are 8 am to 2 pm.
The strike came after a call by the Punjab Civil Medial Services Association (PCMSA), which should restoration of Assured Carrer Progression (ACP) and pushed for better security for doctors.
Among the patients who came to the OPD on Monday, many were those who had returned unattended due to the strike last week.
“I came on Friday to have my prescription renewed but the OPD was closed. I was told to come back after a week or so. I found out that the strike was called off on Saturday and I came today,” said 53-year-old Harvinder Singh, who has a brain ailment.
Rajinder Sharma, 60, who suffers from partial paralysis, came to the hospital to get his prescription renewed on Tuesday last week, but had to return unattended. He also made his way to the hospital on Monday.
On Monday, the OPDs were open beyond working hours as the doctors stayed in to attend to all the patients who had come to the hospital.
“Although we didn’t have any such instructions from higher ups, the doctors ensured that all the patients who had come to the OPD were attended even after 2 pm,” said senior medical officer Dr Harpreet Singh.
The PCMSA on Saturday called off the strike as the state government conceded their demands. The doctors’ body also announced that the OPD at all the government hospitals will run for two additional hours on Monday and Tuesday, to compensate for the strike.
Under the ACP, the grade pay of government doctors is increased three times during their service, four years into service, nine years into service and after 14 years in service.