Dhanbad: Five major medical colleges of Jharkhand would now have to follow a revised timing for their Out Patient Department (OPD), according to an official order of the Jharkhand government as part of its efforts to ensure the smooth provision of health services to the patient.
The notification was issued to the five medical colleges by Dr SK Singh, director of medical education of the state health department, which rescheduled the OPD timings of these hospitals.
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The registration time for patients coming to OTP was changed to 8 am to 12 noon for the first part of the day, whereas it was changed to 3 pm to 5 pm in the second half of the day, reports Lagatar24. Whereas the treatment timings of the patient were changed to 9 am to 1 pm in the first half and from 3-6 pm in the second half of the day.
The decision to revise the OPD timings was taken during the marathon monthly review meeting held on November 4, which was chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Health Arun Kumar Singh and attended by the director of medical education, principal, and superintendent of all five medical colleges.
The notification read, “OPD timings have been revised keeping the facility of the patients in mind and it would bring uniformity among all the institutions.”
Talking about the prescription given, the notification observed, “At the review meeting, the ACS expressed concern over doctors prescribing costly and trademark medicines to patients at medical colleges hospitals which puts an economic burden on the patients. So, principals/ superintendents of all medical colleges have been requested to direct the doctors to prescribe generic medicines and write them in clear capital letters on the prescriptions.” The doctors have been directed to prescribe generic medicines to patients, with the prescriptions to be written in capital letters.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has been repeatedly releasing circulars directing the government and private doctors to prescribe medicines in capital letters, however, the doctors have not been following them. ACS Singh has strictly considered this ignorance from the doctors’ side, directing its implementation in the patient’s interests.
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