MARGAO
Better late than never, so goes the saying. With medical oxygen in short supply, the two major Covid hospitals in South Goa “ the district hospital and the ESI hospital -- are on the job of putting in place logistics to set up oxygen concentrators in their premises.
While many say the government ought to have put the oxygen generating system in place at the two places anticipating the second Covid wave, doctors manning the two hospitals, together playing host to close to 800 patients, are setting up the logistics.
Take the case of the South Goa district hospital, which is presently playing host to over 500 patients. Since Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the hospital over a week ago, the administration headed by Medical Superintendent Dr Deepa Correia has put in place logistics for the setting up of an oxygen concentrator, having a capacity to produce 600 litres of oxygen per minute.
While Dr Correia has got the work almost completed to house the equipment, the administration is waiting for the compressor to arrive from Gujarat before the commissioning of the plant.
Set up under the PM Cares Fund, the Chief Minister had announced commissioning of the plant by May 15.
At the ESI hospital, Margao, which is housing around 234 patients, work is underway to set up the logistics to set up the oxygen concentrator. ESI hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr Vishwajit Faldesai, informed that the plant will soon become a reality.
“The plant will certainly give respite to patients undergoing treatment at the hospital. We are presently depending on the oxygen cylinders to meet our requirements,” he added.
Senior officials in the know pointed out that the government ought to have put these oxygen concentrators in place long ago to meet the requirements during the second wave.
“All these things should have been in place around the time when the second wave hit other states, including the neighbouring state of
Maharashtra. We would have been better prepared to face the situation,” the official said, adding “it’s better late than never.”
