PANJIM: Amidst rising COVID-19 cases, the government took a major decision of restructuring treatment facilities by offering three wards at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) for ‘extremely critical’ patients. Hereafter, COVID-19 patients who are critical and admitted at ESI Hospital will also be shifted to GMC for treatment.
Addressing the media on Friday, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that ward numbers 145, 146 and 147 have been exclusively dedicated for ‘extremely critical’ COVID-19 patients.
“Extremely critical patients will be treated at GMC. Patients who are even admitted at ESI Hospital and critical will also be shifted to the GMC for treatment under supervision of experts. The arrangement will help in preventing fatalities. We have also made separate entry and exit to avoid contact with non-COVID-19 patients,” he said.
The decision comes at a time when a majority of patients with co-morbid conditions have lost the battle to the dreaded virus while a few have been critically ill. The minister, conceding a spike in cases, also urged people to not visit government hospitals unless it is an emergency or unavoidable.
The other two designated treatment facilities will continue to treat asymptomatic patients or those with moderate symptoms. Nearly 96 per cent of COVID-19 patients are asymptomatic, the minister said.
Rane also spoke of the success of plasma therapy claiming that two critical COVID-19 patients underwent plasma therapy and have now tested negative for the infection. A total of 14 patients have been administered plasma twice till date.
In the wake of escalating COVID-19 cases, the government has already made it mandatory for people to undergo antigen testing before being admitted to the GMCH for non-COVID-19 treatments.
