Coronavirus scare in Goa: Invoking epidemic act allows state to lean on private healthcare system

PANAJI: The health department is sparing no efforts to deal with Covid-19, although the state is yet to detect its first case. However, the invocation of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, has put the health department in a better position to tackle the situation.
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Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) dean Dr S M Bandekar said that there are 3,500 beds in the private hospitals in the state and if need arises those can used. “All patients don’t have to be in GMC. If the need arises, private beds can be used. The invocation of the Epidemic Diseases Act allows us to do this,” he said.

GMC has 30-beds in ward no. 113, which is an isolation facility. The hospital has six ventilators and is likely to receive 12 more this week. Bandekar said that “not all cases of Covid-19 need to be put on ventilator”.
With Covid-19, the risk of patients developing acute respiratory problem remains high. Goa has over 90,000 senior citizens, this segment is vulnerable to contracting the disease as is observed in other countries that have reported a spurt in Covid-19 cases.
State government-run facilities itself may have few ventilators, but the Epidemic Diseases Act allows the state to utilise the facilities available with the private healthcare to combat the disease, state epidemiologist Dr Utkarsh Betodkar said. With this, there is lesser possibility that the healthcare of senior citizens may be compromised if there are Covid-19 cases, he said.
The Goa Epidemic Diseases, Covid 19 Regulations, 2020, mandates that all hospitals — government and private —have flu corners. The areas for screening of suspected cases of Covid-19 should be away from common out-patient departments (OPD).
Even before the act was invoked, the state had made efforts to rope in private healthcare facilities. A targeted workshop on Covid-19 was recently conducted for Indian Medical Association (IMA) members of Goa branch. The association has over 1,400 members.
Indian Medical Association (IMA) Goa branch president Dr S Samuel Arawattigi said they are committed to help the government.
Betodkar said they are putting in all efforts, but the next two months will be crucial. “People should avoid travel for the next two months,” he said.
He said that India cannot be complacent even if there is a decline in cases during next few days. We have to be vigilant until the spread of the disease in other countries is not contained.
The Goa Epidemic Diseases, Covid 19 Regulations, 2020, mandates that all hospitals — government and private — have flu corners