Now, GMC specialists will treat comorbid patients at ESI hospital

PANAJI: Even as Covid-19 deaths and cases continue to rise in the state, attracting the government trenchant criticism from all quarters, the state on Monday decided to overhaul the working of the ESI Covid hospital in Margao.
With several patients raising the issue of lack of proper attention for comorbidities such as cancer, the government, in a notification issued on Monday, said that Covid patients with comorbidities will henceforth be treated by superspecialty teams from GMC’s cardiology, oncology, neurology, nephrology, neurosurgery and urology departments.

TOI had earlier highlighted the plight of comorbid patients at the state's lone Covid hospital.
The government also handed over all administration of the ESI-Covid hospital, Margao, to Dr S M Bandekar, who is dean of Goa Medical College (GMC) and hospital. Till Monday, Dr Ira Almeida, medical superintendent, South Goa district hospital, has overseen the state’s lone dedicated Covid facility.
The government created a high dependency unit within the Covid hospital, with bedside ventilators. This facility will be under the supervision of Dr Viraj Namshikar and Dr Deependra C of GMC’s anaesthesiology department, Dr Glenn of the ESI hospital, and Dr Gayatri Kalyanshetty, senior anaesthetist, Hospicio.
Also, a treatment protocol committee has been constituted, which shall decide protocols for treatment in consultation with the nodal officer of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr Randeep Guleria.
This committee comprises medical superintendent of the North Goa district hospital, Dr Mohandas Pednekar, Dr Anar Khandeparkar of GMC’s medicine department, Dr Edward De Mello, a senior physician at Hospicio, Dr Vaibhav Gude, Dr Venkatesh Molio and Dr Oscar Rebello.
Also constituted is a three-member committee headed by Bandekar, that will deploy doctors, nurses and paramedics for the smooth functioning of the Covid hospital. The two others are director of health services Dr Jose D’Sa and senior orthopaedic surgeon Dr Vishwajit Faldessai.
Also, the Covid-positive death cremation committee will be headed by a senior consultant at the department of medicine as nodal officer, besides district collectors.
The day-to-day administration of staff and other duties necessary for the smooth running of the hospital will be looked after by a senior GMC doctor. A five-member committee has also been constituted for the smooth functioning of the hospital’s operation theatre.
It has also been decided to outsource the handling of bio-medical waste, patients’ diet, laundry service and housekeeping to agencies currently engaged in GMC, and they will function 24x7. Also, the government has asked the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) to appoint a nodal officer for the day-to-day administration of maintenance work at the Covid hospital.