Chandigarh, May 27 -- The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has marked a 10.46% increase in the number of surgeries performed in a year after it extended the operation theatre (OT) timings by three hours, moving from 8 am to 5pm to now 8 am to 8 pm. The increased timing has reduced the waiting time for surgeries of patients and ensures timely surgical intervention. The decision to extend elective operation theatre (OT) timings from 8 am to 8 pm was taken last year by director, Dr Vivek Lal and was implemented from May 1, 2025 in response to increasing tertiary care demands, prolonged surgical waiting lists and the pressing need for bed utilisation. A data shared by the institute showed 35,335 surgeries were performed between May 2024 to April 2025 and the number went up to 39,030 after extending OT hours during May 2025 to April 2026. The findings revealed that nine out of twelve months recorded positive operative growth, highlighting the consistency and sustainability of the initiative. The increase was driven predominantly by high-complexity and anaesthesia-intensive specialties, including orthopaedics, neurosurgery, surgical gastroenterology and others....