Evening OPD begins at Chandigarh’s GMSH-16

An evening outpatient department (OPD) has started at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, Chandigarh, to improve access to healthcare services. The OPD will function daily from 5 pm to 7 pm and is part of efforts to strengthen secondary healthcare facilities in the Union Territory.

The initiative follows directions from UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, who had stressed the need to improve patient care and ensure the availability of specialist doctors in government hospitals. Officials said the move is aimed at making treatment more accessible for patients who are unable to visit hospitals during regular working hours.

Services offered

The evening OPD is providing specialist services in medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics and gynaecology. During the trial run on Tuesday, the first day of the service, doctors attended to 25 patients.

Health authorities said the facility will help reduce crowding during morning hours and offer greater convenience to working people. Plans are also in place to extend the evening OPD service to civil hospitals in the future.

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Aim of the initiative

During his visits to healthcare centres across Chandigarh, the UT administrator observed the need to further strengthen government hospitals as effective secondary care centres. He emphasised that hospitals should be capable of delivering specialist services so that patients do not have to be unnecessarily referred to bigger institutions.

Officials believe the step will help reduce the burden on major tertiary hospitals such as Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, and the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. The evening OPD is expected to improve patient flow and overall healthcare delivery in the city.