Safdarjung

“Most developed countries run evening clinics where people can go to consult doctors after work for problems that don’t require emergency care,” he added.

“Current clinic timings are not suitable for the majority of people — daily wage workers, people going to offices, schools and colleges. This forces them to either seek expensive care from private practitioners or substandard care from quacks,” he said.

Based on the outcomes, the move will be replicated in other public hospitals.

The move would also reduce congestion in emergency departments, where people with normal ailments, even a cold, sometimes end up because the OPD is shut.

The idea has run into opposition from doctors because the plan is to keep staffing at current levels when it comes to doctors although more paramedics and support staff are very much part of it.

“There’s need for at least 50% increase in the number of doctors in all departments that run a 12-hour OPD,” said Dr Anubhava Sangwan, president of the resident’s doctors association at Safdarjung hospital. .

“Safdarjung already has an evening clinic that runs from 2 pm to 4pm for the busiest specialities such as medicine, but most of the people come between 8 am and 2 pm,” added Dr Sangwan.

“Increasing the timing would not automatically result in a proportional increase in the number of patients. There are only ‘x’ number of sick people in the community. Instead, it will stagger the numbers throughout the day. So, the existing number of doctors can manage the OPD but must also be called in on flexi-timings as per the patient flow,” Dr Kumar said.

In an attempt to decongest hospitals, last year, the Delhi government extended the out-patient clinics by two hours. “It had an impact, no doubt... but the hours were increased without increasing the number of doctors, nurses and paramedics, and the existing staff had to put in more hours,” said Dr Pankaj Solanki, head of the National Doctor’s Front.

“The government cannot start a project without capacity building. More doctors, nurses and even pharmacists and lab technicians are needed,” he added. and its affiliates.

“In most cases, there is a convergence between the outcome of the independent surveys and the response of the Sangh Parivar,” the first leader said. “It limits scope for manipulation and helps identify the best candidate. A two-thirds majority (in the assembly) in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand would not have been possible without right candidates.”

The two leaders said the number of MPS who won’t get a party ticket is significant because of two reasons.

First, the BJP fears that about a dozen MPS in Uttar Pradesh will cross over to either the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party. The two parties have joined hands in the country’s most populous state, which accounts for 80 Lok Sabha seats. That has upset BJP calculations.

“We will need new candidates in these seats and the selection will be a careful, exhaustive and scientific exercise, given unity among opposition parties,” the first leader said.

Second, the BJP is wary of the performance of a large number of its MPS in northern, western and central India, the three regions which gave the party 232 out of its total tally of 282 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. It has received negative feedback about them in several surveys conducted by the party and the response from the local units, too, is not enthusiastic.

“Then, you have some candidates who are 75-plus. There will be a debate on whether such candidates should get a ticket,” the first leader said. The BJP has a broad policy of not giving ministerial positions to leaders above the age of 75. Kalraj Mishra and Najma Heptullah resigned from the union cabinet after they crossed 75.

About a dozen BJP MPS would be over the age of 75 by May 2019.