MARGAO
As there is no let-up in the Covid cases in Margao and its suburbs, the State health authorities have on Saturday issued instructions to the ESI hospital, Margao to immediately start a 150-bedded Covid hospital in the premises.
In another development, the district authorities have mulled requisition of a couple of government premises to function as Covid care centres. The authorities are also planning to impose curbs on public gatherings.
The ESI hospital will start as a 150-bedded Covid hospital minus the ICU and ITU facility initially, with officials saying these amenities will be added in the hospital depending on the available of infrastructure.
Sources said the State health officials during a review of the Covid situation in the State have told the ESI hospital management to set up a 150-bedded Covid hospital on top priority. While the ICU and ITU unit facilities will be added subsequently, the ESI will start the hospital facility anytime after receiving the logistics support.
The ESI hospital is being presently utilised as a Covid care centre in the wake of the spike in cases. Presently, the number of Covid asymptomatic patients housed in the ESI Covid care centre is put at 35.
ESI Medical Superintendent Dr Vishwajit Faldesai informed that the hospital will stop playing host to the asymptomatic patients once the hospital resumes its Covid hospital operations in the next 2-3 days. “Asymptomatic patients presently housed in the hospital will be shifted to other care centres once the hospital starts functioning,” he added.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the ESI hospital, Margao had accommodated as many as 210 patients before the facility was shut down in mid-December following improvement in the situation
and the commissioning of the South Goa district hospital.
The ESI hospital facility is being utilised again with the South Goa district hospital reaching a point of saturation in the last few days.
Meanwhile, sources informed that the district authorities are gearing up to ramp up the Covid facilities in South Goa, including the Covid care centres in view of the spike in Covid cases. Sources said the administration has proposed requisitioning of government premises which will be notified as Covid care centres to tide over the situation.
In the meantime, the number of active Covid cases reported in the jurisdiction of Margao Urban Health Centre has increased to 757 as against 725 cases on Friday, a spike of 32 cases.
