In this topic you will read various parameters of Setting up an outpatient department. This includes of Infrastructural requirement, furniture, summarized details of interiors and exteriors and a few statutory requirements related to it.
Infrastructural requirement for setting up outpatient department
- Parking area – To accommodate the desired number of vehicles asper expected patient walk-in
- Wheelchair assisted entrance or trolley bay
- Reception / “May I help you” desk – Supported with HIS enabled Computers and printers
- Billing Counter – Supported with HIS enabled Computers and printers.
- OPD Rooms as per specialty of the department
- Patient waiting area
- Washrooms with urinals – Should be wheelchair assisted and preferably near OPD area and Procedure room
- Procedure room – Near OPD area, enabled with minor procedure-related assistance
- Counselling desk – Supported with HIS enabled Computers and printers
- Lab Sample Collection Desk / Room – With Patient examination table and chair
- Pharmacy with licenses as per Govt norms
- Staff changing room with lockers
- House Keeping Utility room
- Maintenance Room
- Bio-Medical Equipment Room (Service & Maintenance)
- Human Resource / Record Room
- Accounts Department
- Stores / Purchase
- Medical Record Department
- Marketing & Communications
Furniture requirement
- Consultation chairs
- Consultation tables
- Executive chairs
- Patient and attendant chairs
- Furniture as per infrastructure of the setup
- Almirah and racks
- Patients waiting area benches
Key features in setting up outpatient department
- Best and affordable treatments to all
- Unique and State of the art clinical facilities
- Controlled expenses to check revenue leakages
- Turnaround time should be as minimum as possible however quality must not be compromised
- Latest medical technologies
- Paperless OPD Centre
- Availability of skilled consultants
- Trained medical and support service manpower
- Improved and safe commuting facilities
- Ease of facilitation
- Efficient patient flow processes
- Availability of various insurances for credit patients
- Corporate patient’s tie-ups
Interiors and Exteriors for setting up outpatient department
Interior requirements
- Outpatient care should be able to serve major service encompassing a wide range of treatment, diagnostic tests and minor surgeries, some of which required hospitalization on earlier days.
- Outpatient department Provides For patients who come for:
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Follow-up Care.
- OPD being called as ‘Shop Window’ of the hospital should be able to cater;
- Controls disease Functions
- Facilitate screening and investigations
- Provide effective treatment
- Provide follow-up care
- Control and surveillance Facility
- Early diagnosis and timely treatment
- Confirm whether or not hospitalization is required
- On the ambulatory basis to discharged patients on OP basis
- Rehabilitation Of communicable diseases
- To prevent an outbreak of epidemic
- Conduct activities in the field of preventive medicine.
- Training of medical, para-medical and nursing staff
- May also provide an avenue for epidemiology and social research
- Objectives should be to provide;
- Quality of care Modern Techniques for investigation and treatment Facilities
- Total patient satisfaction
- Good Public relation
- A well-designed and well- organized outpatient department
- To have a high revenue-generating area
- Patient accessibility
- Centralized polyclinic which should have all horizons of Skin disease and plastic surgery cases
- Centralized specialty clinic treating any particular domain as per location
- Effective, comprehensible, standard signage should be planned
- Maintain the dignity and privacy of patients
- Cater for future expansion
- Educational resource areas to be integrated into the main lobby
- Waiting area and public spaces should be large enough
- Should allow natural light and good ventilation
- Public areas as per infrastructural requirement
- Clinical areas
- Consultation rooms
- Special examination rooms
- Administrative area
- Auxiliary / additional facilities
- Laboratory
- Medical imaging services
- Screening clinics
- Medico-social services
- Health education facility Ancillary/subsidiary facilities
- Circulation area
- Injection rooms / Procedure room
- Treatment and dressing rooms
- Pharmacy
- Medical records room
- Clinical Laboratory
- Centralized sample collection area for urine, stool and blood
- Washroom, toilets and a blood collection room should be provided
- Specialized OPD services
- Staff Zone
Exteriors of Polyclinic
- Main entrance-gentle sloping ramps to facilitate movement
- The entrance should have a double door with a width of 1500 mm
- Wheelchairs should be readily available at the entrance
- Staff and patient entrance should be separate (Preferably)
- Parking should be close to entrance Enquiry desk, Reception Station
- Height of counter should be adapted to need of wheelchair patients
- To ensure privacy, reception should have counters Waiting area
- Sub-waiting areas may be shared between the various consultation rooms
- Distance from the waiting area to the consultation room should be short
- Toilets should be in closed premise to maintain other hygiene factors
Statutory requirements for setting up outpatient department
Want to set a Polyclinic set up? Here you will get a list of 20 statutory requirements to set up a polyclinic in India. You might require to read this. However, the conditions and the list of licenses might vary as per your state-level regulatory bodies but there are certain licenses required which you would have to take. Here is the list below which you may refer to cross-verify your requirement.
List of licenses and approvals
- Certificate of Incorporation
- Permanent Account Number (PAN)
- Tax-reduction Account Number (TAN)
- GST
- Registration of Hospital
- Shops & Establishments
- Trade Mark Registration
- Building Permit / Occupancy Certificate
- Fire NOC
- Explosive License (Compressed Gas)
- Spirit License
- Professional Indemnity
- Pollution Control Board (PCB) Approvals
- Bio-Medical Waste Management Services Certificates, Annual Report, MOU
- Employee Provident Fund
- Professional Tax
- District Medical and Health Office registration
- Certification of Registration of Allopathic Private Medical care establishment
- Licenses for N.D.P.S (Narcotic Drugs)
- Pharmacy License / Renewal Certificate to Sell, stock or exhibit or offer for sale or distribute Drugs (Retail Drug License for Pharmacy)
