Team Herald
PANJIM: Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Monday said that the government will ask private hospitals to reserve at least 40 per cent of their beds in view of the spike in COVID-19 infected cases.
He also appealed to recovered patients to come forward and voluntarily donate their convalescent plasma to save the lives of those suffering from the deadly virus.
“Private hospitals cannot shy away from their responsibility. We want to increase percentage of beds in private hospitals. We want 40 per cent of beds from them,” Rane said adding that a meeting of all stakeholders including private hospitals has been convened on Tuesday, April 20.
Rane said that the government will procure five Rosche machines to increase COVID-19 RT-PCR tests to conduct minimum 5,000 sample tests per day. Each machine has capacity to test 900 samples per day. The government launched a mobile van to conduct RT-PCR tests at GMC, Bambolim. The mobile van will then travel to other government hospitals for these tests.
Stating that the State government is not running short Remdesivir, an anti-viral drug, he said that every Remdesivir order will have to be intimated to the government. Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) requires 1,000 to 1,200 vials every week, he said adding that a pharmaceutical company in Goa has been asked to keep a minimum inventory of 5,000 to 10,000 vials for the use of people of the State.
The Health Minister cautioned that Goa’s oxygen requirement will double in near future that what we are using today and more beds will be fitted with oxygen in hospitals.
According to the Minister, the GMC required 40 to 45 trolleys of cylinders while 18 trolleys of cylinders are required for the South Goa District Hospital, Margao.
The government has also requisitioned additional oxygen manufacturing plants in Verna, Margao and Cuncolim, which will help the government in the seamless supply of oxygen to COVID Hospitals, he said.
Rane said that the Coronavirus second wave has high infectivity and that now people below 45 years of age are getting infected. Also mortality among youngsters is high, he informed.
Rane appealed to people particularly youth to stop partying and stay at home. He opined that action against the clubs was needed as load is increasing on health sector. Many doctors in GMC have tested COVID-19 positive, he said.
Ruling out lockdown, Rane said that as such the economic activity is experiencing a slump with the increase in COVID-19 cases across the country. Four flights from Goa were cancelled due to lack of passengers on Monday,” he informed.
