SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government on Saturday installed a 20,000-litre liquid medical oxygen tank at the old medicinal block of Goa Medical College and Hospita, Bambolim paving the way for uninterrupted oxygen to COVID-19 patients.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said that this was the third tank brought from Bicholim to Bambolim within three days and installed. The first 6000-litre oxygen tank was installed at the South Goa district Hospital, Margao followed by 20,000-litre tank at the super-specialty block of GMC.
An additional 6000-litre tank will also be requisitioned soon which will
replace the outdated manifold system in the GMC, he said.
Sawant said that till date oxygen was supplied in the GMC under manifold system which now will be provided through the tank. However, the trolley system would be kept as stand-by or emergency in the hospital.
Also, 350 patients were shifted from the GMC wards to the newly built super-specialty block of GMC on Saturday.
On Saturday morning eight patients died in the GMC between 2 am and 6 am even as GMC Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar said that it cannot be attributed to oxygen shortage.
“In COVID-19 patients oxygen is a very important part of the treatment. But how to prove that interruption has caused these deaths? It’s not with full proof to say that deaths are happening due to lack of oxygen supply. I don’t believe in deaths happenings between 2 am and 6 am as COVID-19 deaths are spread over 24 hours,” Bandekar said.
The GMC Dean also said that there are 160 critical COVID patients undergoing treatment in the GMC and all are on ventilators. Being the premier institute in the State, GMC admits the most critical COVID patients, Bandekar said adding that it was also treating 280 non-COVID cases.
Reacting to the opposition charge that 75 COVID-19 deaths occurred in the GMC during the last three days due to oxygen shortage, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said, “We all are dealing with the pandemic and it is not a simple situation for the opposition to make charges. We are tackling all issues. The opposition should come with solutions.”
