MARGAO
The over 150-year-old Hospicio hospital now plays host to a Covid casualty, set up to assess and evaluate the condition of Covid positive patients, even as the Director of Health Services has put in place an elaborate plan, including opening of the South Goa district hospital and the ESI hospital to house patients if the need arises.
As per the system in place, while the Hospicio Covid casualty will assess the condition of the positive patients, those in need of hospitalisation will be referred to the Goa Medical College and Hospital, Bambolim.
Health Director Dr Ira Almeida informed that if the number of patients admitted at the GMC touches the 50 per cent capacity, the authorities will open the facility at Hospicio/district hospital to accommodate 100 patients.
She further said the ESI hospital will be requisitioned for Covid facility if the number of patients at the Hospicio/district hospital crosses the 50 per cent capacity.
Dr Almeida pointed out that the third floor of the South Goa district hospital will be utilised to house Covid patients requiring ICU facility.
“The Covid casualty at Hospicio has started functioning. Any person, who has been tested positive for Covid, can visit the casualty at Hospicio to assess his or her health condition. Medical experts manning the casualty will advise the patients whether they need hospitalisation or whether they can take treatment from home,” she said.
In the first and second Covid wave, the ESI and then the South Goa district hospital had catered to the increasing number of Covid patients.
Salcete sees spurt in cases
MARGAO: There seems to be no letup in the number of Covid cases reported at the Margao Urban Health Centre.
In fact, the total number of active cases reported at the Margao Health Centre jurisdiction was pegged at around 271 on Monday compared to 221 cases on Sunday, an increase of 50 cases in the last 24 hours.
Cases reported at the Cansaulim Primary Health Centre, which has its jurisdiction over Salcete villages, also witnessed a spurt in Covid as evident by the fact that the number of active cases were put at 177 on Monday.
Health officials in the know in private admitted there’s a spurt in the number of Covid cases in Margao and surrounding in the last one week, with an official saying the cases have been spreading faster than anticipated.
Other primary health centres in Salcete also witnessed a rise in cases. Cases at the Loutolim PHC touched 82 on Monday, while cases reported at the Curtorim PHC hovered around 46. The number of cases reported at the Navelim PHC touched 44 on Monday, while it was around 42 cases at the Balli PHC.
