Team Herald
CURCHOREM: Quepem Citizens’ Committee (QCC) on Sunday urged the government to convert the NUSI Hospital at Panzorconi-Cuncolim into a COVID Care Centre.
Quepem Citizens’ Committee vice-president Evangelisto da Costa said, “Since the NUSI Hospital is closed for the last several months, it could be made functional as COVID Care Centre. We cannot see the people dying and since the COVID cases are rising day by day in the State, and to avoid shortage of beds, we urge the government to make the non-functional NUSI Hospital as a functional COVID Care Centre. I have spoken to the management in this regard.”
Evangelisto said he has requested Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant (Babu) Kavlekar to make additional arrangement of beds.
“Kavlekar told me that he has already directed the Deputy Collector of Quepem to arrange at least 50 beds in the hall near the Government College at Quepem to accommodate COVID patients at the earliest,” da Costa informed.
Goan Seamen Association of India (GSAI) President Frank Viegas said, “We have written to the Chief Minister and Collector urging them to use the hospital for COVID patients as it is closed and also it is slightly in an isolated area where no nearby houses are located. It would be the best place for COVID patients.”
He said, “The government had abandoned the proposal after conducting the inspection because as per their estimates around Rs 1 crore is required to make it operational. Rs 1 crore is not much for the government to spend if it is useful for the general public. Since it is a 200-bedded hospital, they should have used it by putting some beds there and could have provided some emergency services such as oxygen to the patients.” Viegas urged the government to still consider the request.
Deputy Chief Minister Kavlekar said, “Talks are underway at the government level to consider such a proposal. Not only NUSI Hospital but another hospital in Canacona and any other non-functional hospitals will be considered to convert them into COVID Care Centres.”
