Pune: Post-COVID-19 OPD will be started in five hospitals in the city as the recovery rate in the city has increased past few days. The decision was taken by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar who is also the Guardian Minister of Pune district.

The OPD service will begin at two Jumbo COVID Hospital including Sassoon General Hospital, Naidu Hospital and Baner COVID hospital, Ajit Pawar stated. Pawar who is keeping a close eye on the situation in the district met senior district and civic officials before making the announcement.

“Patients who have recovered from the novel coronavirus will be counselled and will get treatment at the post-COVID OPD wards in the hospitals. Thus, the post-Covid OPD should be started soon. In the first phase, the post-COVID OPD will begin in five hospitals. Later on it will be started in other hospitals including some from the rural areas of the district,” informed Ajit Pawar.

He also stressed that the district administration should guarantee that medical equipment in rural areas does not remain unused amid lack of maintenance. He also ordered the officials to take action against the hospitals, which are taking inflated fees from COVID patients.

Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Council Dr Nilam Gorhe, Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol, Pimpri Chinchwad Mayor Usha Dhore, Zilla Parishad President Nirmala Pansare, Dr Amol Kolhe, Vandana Chavan along with office bearers as well as Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao, Pune Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, Collector Dr Rajesh Deshmukh, Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta, Pimpri Chinchwad Commissioner of Police Krishna Prakash, District Health Officer Dr Bhagwan Pawar as well as senior officers, office bearers were present at the meeting.