Doctors in Patna will now have to take rounds of patients twice a day for half an hour each, a new circular issued by the Bihar’s health department said.
The state’s health department laid down the standard operating procedure (SOP) for government medical college hospitals and district hospitals.
The SOP, circulated to heads of medical college hospitals, district hospitals and civil surgeons fixed two time slots, first from 8:30am to 9am, and again from 5:30pm to 6pm during summers (March to October), for doctors to make hospital rounds in wards.
The time of evening round during winters (November to February), will be from 4:30pm to 5pm.
Several senior government doctors, occupied in private practice, generally avoid making rounds of hospital in-patients twice a day, prompting the government to specify the timings of their rounds, said a health official.
Also Read: Govt docs in U.P. to oppose new service policy
“By stipulating the timing of rounds, the government also wants to ensure that doctors do not use it as an alibi to say that they were on round, when they were actually away from duty, during a surprise inspection,” the official added.
The government has also increased the cap on admissibility of free drugs to outdoor patients at these facilities from three to five days, and up to 30 days in case of diabetics, those suffering from hypertension and chronic diseases.
Pregnant women will get the full dose of iron folic acid and calcium.
It has also fixed the time of outdoor patient department (OPD) consultation from 9am to 2pm.
Registration counters will open and close half an hour early.
The evening OPD clinic will function from 4pm to 6pm between March and October, and from 3pm to 5pm between November and February, said the letter, issued by Pratyaya Amrit, Bihar’s additional chief secretary, health.
The time for elective surgeries has been kept between 8am and 2pm while emergency operation will be done 24×7. All emergency services, including the blood bank, will function 24×7.
