Madhya Pradesh District Hospitals Shut OPD And Dialysis Services On Holidays, Patients Forced To Seek Private Treatment

In Madhya Pradesh, district hospitals are suspending outpatient department (OPD) consultations and dialysis services on Sundays and holidays, forcing patients to seek treatment at private hospitals or referral centers. This suspension, which affects services such as OPD consultations and dialysis, leaves referral hospitals with an already strained capacity.

Although emergency services continue to operate, they are insufficient to make up for the loss of regular OPD services. On consecutive holidays, district hospitals are operating a reduced OPD schedule from 9 am to 11 am, but dialysis services remain suspended. Dr Navin Kothari, the chief medical and health officer in Jabalpur, acknowledged the disruption and plans to provide dialysis services during consecutive holidays.

However, Dr Himanshu Sharma, head of nephrology at Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal, highlighted that the suspension of dialysis services at district hospitals exacerbates the patient load at referral hospitals, which already lack adequate facilities. As a result, patients from Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, and other districts are left with limited options: either seek treatment at private hospitals or visit Hamidia Hospital.