City hospitals switch to Covid-time online protocol to spare patients heatwave blues
Times of India | 26 April 2024
KOLKATA: If most prominent Kolkata schools have rediscovered the virtues of offline education even amid the heatwave, hospitals are moving in the opposite direction. Many of them have started online consultation, which made its debut during the pandemic, so that patients do not have to step out of their homes in the oppressive heat.
The move follows a sharp drop in OPD footfall since the onset of the heatwave in Kolkata.With maximum temperature soaring past the 40°C mark, a significant number of patients, especially elderly ones, have been seeking virtual consultations to avoid the heat.
Narayana Health, for instance, has revived online consultations through its Narayana Health app. "We have also extended OPD hours to complement our digital healthcare services, providing patients with flexible options to receive timely medical attention across our units," said Narayana Health COO R Venkatesh. OPD hours have been extended till 8pm at the four Narayana units. "This initiative comes in response to recent fluctuations in footfall, with a decrease of 3%-4% over the past few weeks," added Venkatesh.
At BP Poddar Hospital, online consultations were not discontinued after Covid but had declined sharply. Over the last one week, they have increased nearly four times. "We used to do 30-35 online consultations a day. But since the last 10 days, the average number has been around 135-145. When a patient is seeking an OPD appointment, we are informing that online consultation is available. Some are availing themselves of it and the patients who know about the facility are choosing the option more frequently. We are also sending medicines to their places up to a distance of 7km," said group adviser Supriyo Chakrabarty.
The three units of AMRI Hospitals have seen a 7%-10% rise in online consultations over the last few days. "We do online consultations for the elderly and more are now opting for them. But our OPD footfall drop is not significant. However, most patients are asking for appointments between 9 am and noon to avoid the afternoon heat," said an AMRI representative.
Ruby General Hospital has increased its online consultation units to four. These were set up during Covid and have been rarely used for almost two years. Around 30%-35% of its follow-up OPD patients have switched to online consultations. "First-time consultations, however, are yet to move online. But we have always encouraged online follow-ups and these have picked up now due to the heat," said Ruby general manager, operations, Subhashish Datta.
Charnock Hospital has introduced online consultations for its OPD patients encountering difficulties in visiting the hospital. "We have noted a decline of around 10% in OPD footfalls during the afternoons. There has been a corresponding marginal rise in patient visits during the evening hours. The OPD services are currently prioritising appointments for individuals with heat-related issues, emphasizing the provision of prompt medical care," said Charnock MD Prashant Sharma.
Medica Superspecialty Hospital is among the few which didn't discontinue online consultations after Covid. "The number remains the same," said Ayanabh Debgupta, joint managing director.