MARGAO
Attribute it to people opting for home quarantine or otherwise, beds are lying vacant at the South Goa district hospital, which was commissioned for Covid less than a month ago.
The number of patients with mild or moderate Covid symptoms housed at the South district hospital is put at 107 on Tuesday. Since the commissioning of the 150-bedded South district hospital around September 19, the capacity has remained underutilised to date,
This assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the government’s decision to upgrade the district Covid hospital to 350 beds to meet the requirements.
The government has further decided to set up an ICU and ITU facility at the South Goa district hospital anticipating a spike in cases in the coming days.
Officials in the know pointed out that the South Goa district hospital was declared a Covid hospital to treat patients with mild and moderate symptoms or patients from the ESI hospital, who are on the way to recovery.
Since then, Covid patients have come in the hospitals only in trickles, either from the ESI hospital as patients on the way to recovery or after being referred to the hospital after a check-up at the district hospital casualty.
“As on Tuesday, around 43 beds are lying vacant in the South Goa district Covid hospital,” informed a senior health official. The official, however, had no answer to offer whether the number of patients requiring hospitalization has come down or people are opting for home isolation.
