Delhi: AIIMS To Discontinue Routine Covid-19 Testing Prior To Inpatient Hospitalisation, Surgeries

AIIMS said that it has decided to discontinue routine Covid testing before hospitalisation and surgeries in accordance with the current ICMR's guidelines.

New Delhi: With daily Covid caseload declining in the national capital, the All Indian Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) on Wednesday announced to discontinue routine Coronavirus testing to inpatient hospitalisation and surgeries.

The central hospital, in its official statement, said that it has decided to discontinue routine Covid testing before hospitalisation and surgeries in accordance with the current ICMR's guidelines. 

"It has been decided to discontinue with routine Covid-19 testing prior to Inpatient hospitalisations (Regular as well as Day care) and also prior to any minor or major surgical/interventional/non-Emergency patients as well as those patients who were earlier Covid-19 positive and have since recovered & transferred to the parents department's inpatient ward for continued treatment," AIIMS official statement read. 

The development comes days after Union Health Ministry said that coronavirus patients requiring surgery need not be denied surgical intervention, saying present data indicates that such procedures are safe and not associated with higher chances of complications or deaths with the Omicron variant.

According to a study conducted by Health Ministry, a total of 53 Covid cases underwent surgery, of which 32 (60 per cent) were given regional anaesthesia and 21 (40 per cent) were given general anaesthesia.

No complications during surgery and immediate post-operative period were found in the study. Also, no deaths and complications in other cases as well were noted.

The central hospital, last week, resumed routine inpatients' admission including elective surgeries in general wards and the private wards due to decline Covid cases in the national capital.

The premier health institution had stopped all routine inpatient admissions and non-essential surgeries in view of rising Covid cases last month on January 7.

Meanwhile, Delhi on Tuesday reported 1,114 fresh Covid cases, a marginal decline from 1,151 cases reported on the previous day, as well as another 12 deaths. Covid positivity rate has come down to 2.28 per cent, while the active cases have also reduced to 6,908.