TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Against the backdrop of the High Court of Bombay at Goa pulling up the State government for various problems regarding the functioning of Goa Medical College, where lives are being lost due to the oxygen supply issues, there are still complaints from patients about issues at the hospital.
Right from the early hours of Thursday morning to Thursday night and then to the early hours of Friday, the nature of the complaints has been similar – a lack of oxygen in some wards and patients suffering due to this.
While the medical staff, administration as well as police personnel have been responding to such cries for help, the problem with the logistics persists.
To summarise how bad the situation is, here’s a post shared by a doctor at GMC earlier this week on Instagram that had gone viral where the doctor had even tagged Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant.
It read, “Had a 32-year-old intubated patient today, who expired when the central oxygen cut off happened even before we could run and attach a cylinder. Intubated patients are fully sedated and on muscle relaxation so are completely dependent on the ventilator. When I broke the news to the wife, she asked me what she should tell her young daughters whom she promised their dad would be back soon. @DrPramodSawant, kindly tell me what I am supposed to tell her.. How is that you still have it in you to say everything is well controlled.”
There have been many posts like these from exasperated volunteers at GMC and those outside the hospital, who have been providing various services and information to patients and families of such COVID patients.
On Thursday night too, some of these volunteers shared videos with proof of how oxygen was running out in these wards.
“The government had enough warning and even now, even though they continuously hold inspections and give updates about new beds and facilities, they are unable to sort out the existing problems with the existing infrastructure that is manned by overburdened medical personnel and supporting staff,” said a family member of a patient at GMC.
There have been complaints about a lack of other supplies like blood thinning injections, functioning of oximeters, besides the oxygen supply related issues and shortage of beds and medical equipment.
On Friday morning, there were allegations that there were over a dozen deaths at GMC from 1 am to 6 am.
Goa Forward Party (GFP) president Vijai Sardesai alleged that these were due to oxygen shortage and even read out the names of the deceased patients during a news debate on a national TV channel; while BJP spokesperson Sidharth Kuncalienker, who was part of the same debate, said it was only the doctors and not laypersons who can comment as to why these patients had died.
