3 GMC wards ready to admit ‘critical’ patients

PANAJI: Goa Medical College (GMC) has readied three wards with 85 beds to treat critically ill Covid-19 patients.
“Three wards — 145, 146 and 147 — are ready to admit Covid patients. The final task of installing ventilators was completed on Wednesday,” Dr S M Bandekar told TOI.
Ward 146 with 25 beds will admit ‘critically critical’ patients, and a team of five to six doctors and nurses will be stationed round the clock to provide focused attention to patients with comorbidities.
Bandekar said work was fast tracked as secretary health Nila Mohahan ensured that the task was completed through GSIDC.
“Our target is to reduce deaths among patients having comorbidities,” he said.
Ward 145 with 30 beds will have suspects admitted, whereas ward 147 will accommodate patients from ward 146, a step down ward for patients showing improvement.
The three wards have side rooms and the hospital will be able to admit any VIP who wishes to be treated in GMC.
A separate lift has been identified for the three wards, and whenever patients are brought or shifted, they will be properly covered, he said.
Meanwhile, another ward for post-surgery Covid patients has also been readied. “With these arrangements in place, we will be able to provide better care and more attention to critically critical patients,” Bandekar said.
Patients from ESI Covid-hospital at Margao, he said, will be shifted to GMC only after assessing their conditions.
Earlier, super speciality doctors from GMC were sent to the Covid hospital depending on requirement, while regular teams attended to all patients.
At present, the Margao hospital is full to capacity. Health minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday said that Hospicio hospital will be used for pre-natal and ante-natal cases from September 1. Presently, such cases are treated at the Ponda Covid hospital. The operations of Hospicio hospital will be entirely shifted to the new South Goa district hospital.