Doctors and staff at Gorakhpur AIIMS will no longer be able to block in-patient department (IPD) beds without the physical presence of patients. Under a new system introduced by Executive Director Dr Vibha Dutta, patients whose admission is approved must report to the concerned IPD within six hours of the admission slip being issued, failing which the allotted bed will be cancelled and reassigned.
The decision follows a report published by Dainik Jagran highlighting cases where hospital beds were blocked despite patients not being present. Acting on the report titled “Patient in Bihar, doctor completes admission”, the AIIMS administration has revamped its admission process to ensure transparency and optimal use of hospital beds.
As per the new system, doctors in the Out-Patient Department (OPD) or Emergency will recommend admission to the concerned IPD. The patient or attendant must then approach counter number 19 in the OPD, where an admission slip will be issued, subject to bed availability. After payment of the admission fee, the patient will be directed to the IPD.
Hospital authorities have made it mandatory for patients to reach the IPD within six hours of the admission slip being issued. For patients who report on time, the time of arrival will be recorded on the Bed Head Ticket to verify the gap between issuance of the slip and admission. If a patient fails to arrive within six hours, the system will automatically mark the bed as vacant on the dashboard, allowing it to be allocated to another patient.
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The new rule follows an incident involving Uma Devi, a 50-year-old woman from Pakwalia village in Bihar’s Siwan district, who was advised admission in the surgery department at AIIMS based on her test reports. Her son completed the admission formalities in her absence, and a bed was allotted. The issue came to light when nursing staff discovered that the patient was not present in the ward, leading to disruption.
AIIMS officials said the revised system is aimed at preventing misuse of IPD beds and ensuring that patients in genuine need receive timely treatment.