Imphal: After the COVID-19 infections have taken a dip, the Manipur government has decided to resume the Out Patient Department (OPD) services in the hospitals of the state soon. The Centre-run Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and the State-run Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) in Imphal are set to resume their OPD services shortly.
A Santa, Director of RIMS said, "The OPD service, as well as the other operations, will be resumed in RIMS within the shortest possible time considering the inconvenience faced by the general public."
The authority of RIMS has decided to sanitize the different awards of the hospital apart from taking up other important measures prior to the reopening of the OPD services.
The OPD services at the RIMS have remained affected since the month of July after some officials and staff of the institute had tested positive for COVID-19.
Similarly, OPD, emergency and casualty services besides new admissions have remained disrupted at the JNIMS since the mid-October of this year where at least 148 healthcare professionals of the institute tested positive for COVID-19.
The authority of JNIMS is also planning to resume OPD services soon, once certain technical issues are taken care of and settled.
Khoirom Sasheekumar Mangang, spokesperson at Manipur Health Department had said, "With a view to consolidate the declining trend of COVID-19 deaths in the state, it was decided to open the OPD services in the two medical institutes- RIMS and JNIMS- at the earliest. The decision was taken in state COVID coordination meeting held on December 19."
On December 20, the total number of new COVID-19 positive cases in Manipur stood at 47. Of these, 23 cases were detected from Imphal West, 14 from Imphal East, four from Thoubal, two each in Bishnupur and Ukhrul while a solitary case was found each in Tengnoupal and Tamenglong. All were locals without any significant travel history.
Manipur now has 1,663 actives cases of COVID-19.