Tamil Nadu Hospitals In Chennai Are Returning To Normal After The Pandemic Surge

The first wave of the pandemic witnessed numerous major hospitals in Chennai which were able to run non-COVID-19 services at the same time, with the exception of elective surgeries, which had to be halted. With the steady drop in cases, the number of individuals attending outpatient departments is increasing, and hospitals are preparing to restart elective surgery.

As the number of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 began to climb last year, numerous prominent hospitals halted non-COVID-19 services. During the second wave, all the major government hospitals provided outpatient services by making alternate arrangements.

However, during the second wave, E. Theranirajan, Dean of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, reported no non-COVID-19 services were halted. He said that in recent months, emergency services, and also non-COVID-19 outpatient departments (OPD), and surgical OPDs, have all operated normally. During this time, only the number of patients visiting OPDs decreased. During the peak of COVID-19, it dropped to 300-400 each day, and the numbers are progressively increasing today. Nearly 4,000 people visited non-COVID-19 OPDs on Wednesday.

He stated that the number of afflicted people — both outpatient and inpatient — is decreasing, and the hospital is gradually restoring normal operations. Every day, they have 130 inpatients and 160-170 outpatients for COVID-19. Only elective surgeries had been halted, and these are now being gradually resumed.

He further stated after dropping to 400-500 individuals per day, the number of persons visiting non-COVID-19 OPDs has risen to above 1,000. The facility now has roughly 750 COVID-19 patients. If the active caseload falls below 500 by the end of the week, they will begin full-scale non-COVID-19 work. The hospital has yet to begin elective cases because there is a possibility of patients catching COVID-19 during their stay.

According to Venkatachalam, director of medical services, Apollo Hospitals in Chennai has restarted non-COVID-19 services.

He mentioned that within 10 days the number of fresh covid cases had been reduced whereas patients with post covid complications are continuing. All severe safety procedures are being maintained, including screening for COVID symptoms, to ensure that non-COVID-19 patients are not exposed to infected people. COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients are housed in separate blocks. As a result, non-COVID-19 patients are not in danger of infection. They have also made sure that employees from COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 treatment locations wouldn't mix.

Due to an increase in mucormycosis cases, MGM Healthcare's associate director of medical services, Navin Gnanasekaran, noted that certain OPDs, such as ENT and ophthalmology, have begun to open. Cardiac operations and cath lab treatments are gradually being restarted. They are gradually increasing the number of surgeries and elective operations they perform.