New Delhi, Sep 2 (IANS): Barring emergency cases, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has suspended regular admissions in the general and private wards of the hospital and all centres through the Out Patient Department (OPD) with immediate effect. The admissions will remain suspended for the next two weeks.

The premier hospital has taken the decision after considering seriously ill emergency patients or semi-emergency patients who require beds in the hospital.

However, the emergency patients who require hospitalization in the general wards or such patients who have been advised admission in private wards will continue to be admitted, the hospital said.

Also, the routine consultations in OPDs would run as usual, said D.K. Sharma, medical superintendent of the hospital.

"In view of the need to optimize usage of available inpatient beds for hospitalization of seriously ill emergency/semi-emergency patients, it has been decided to temporarily stop routine OPD admissions to general wards as well as private wards in AIIMS Hospital and all Centres with immediate effect for a period of two weeks which will be reviewed after that," the statement by the hospital read.

Sharma said that beneficiaries of the Employee Health Scheme (EHS) would continue to be admitted as clinically warranted.

He added that the suspension period of the in-patient admissions via OPDs is a subject of review and further extension would depend upon the prevailing situation.