MARGAO
Nearly 70 days after the hospital was requisitioned for Covid work during the second wave as a Covid hospital, the ESI hospital, Margao has shut Covid operations from Monday after all the last 10 patients were discharged on Sunday.
Even as ESI hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Vishwajit Faldesai is bracing up to sanitize the entire hospital building ahead of the resumption of the normal operations for the ESI beneficiaries from July 1, all the Covid warriors comprising of doctors, nurses, paramedics and the health care workers were honoured on Monday for their yeoman service during the second wave of Covid.
Dr Edwin Gomes, who had returned back to the ESI hospital during second wave to attend to the patients, was also given a farewell by the ESI hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Faldedsai in the presence of Dr Uday Kakodkar.
Dr Faldesai appreciated the role played by each of the health care workers attached to the ESI hospital, including the doctors, nurses and the paramedics, during the second wave of Covid.
He told The Goan that while doctors and other paramedics, who were requisitioned to the hospital have all been relieved from Monday, the ESI hospital is gearing up for the return of the normal operations from July 1.
He said the next two days will be utilized to sanitize the entire hospital building and put things in order ahead of the reopening of the hospital for the ESI beneficiaries. “We are gearing up for the reopening of the ESI hospital for the beneficiaries. Normal operations in the ESI hospital will resume from July 1”, he added.
During the second COVID wave, the ESI hospital was requisitioned on April 18 to accommodate the growing number of patients in South Goa.
In fact, from April 18 to June 24, the ESI hospital had played host ot around 1438 patients after the hospital’s bed capacity was increased to 135 to cater to the growing requirements.
The hospital reported around 21 deaths during the 70 days of COVID operations.
Since the ESI hospital was requisitioned for COVID work in March 2020, the ESI beneficiaries were left to fend for themselves in the absence of any dedicated hospital to avail benefits under the ESI scheme. Unlike other states, the ESI beneficiaries did not enjoy the privilege of availing medical benefits in private hospitals, but were told to avail the services in the government-run hospitals.
