Panaji: Covid-19 Epidemicto its downfall and tragedies, forced the state to upgrade its Health basic infrastructure. The government, which had been dragging its feet on the sprawling South Goa District Hospital for a decade, was swiftly commissioned because of the pandemic.
In addition, nine PSA oxygen plants were set up during the pandemic – seven under the PM Cares Fund, and two under CSR, reducing hospitals’ dependence on procuring oxygen cylinders.
Last year, TOI reported that oxygen shortage was felt as the Directorate of Health Services awarded a ten-year contract to a single supplier, Scoop Industries Pvt Ltd. The government’s sole reliance on Scoop Industries prompted other suppliers to shut down their manufacturing units in Goa. and established in other states.
During the pandemic, critical care facilities were also upgraded, and a lot of money was spent on high-end equipment, including ventilators, monitors, syringe pumps and other equipment for ICUs, including pediatric care.
There is also currently no shortage of PPE which was experienced in the early days of the pandemic.
Super Specialty Block also opened in GMC covid At a time when the hospital was overcrowded with critical patients from across the state.
GMC’s head of pulmonary medicine, Dr Uday Kakodkar, who was the nodal officer of the Covid hospital in the super-specialty block, told TOI that it was challenging due to the nature of the second wave bringing in a large number of critical patients. Of every 100 patients brought to the GMC in May 2021, 80 will require oxygen, of which 40 will require ventilators.
“On May 4, there were nine admissions, and on May 14, within ten days, we had 123 admissions. No hospital in the world could have imagined such an extraordinary situation. We tried not to send a single patient home and did what we could,” he said, adding that Goa got 200 ventilators under the PM CARES fund.
He also organized the setting up of Super Specialty Block in GMC in record time. “We had to set up the hospital from scratch. Everything from bedsheets and pillow covers to medicines had to be assembled and organized, on an urgent basis. After a few hours we will start a ward, it will be filled up,” he recalls.
The 34-bed ward will have 16 additional beds, taking the capacity to 50. Within 18 days, he said the team had started 12 wards and three ICUs, all of which were completely filled. “In all, we recruited 290 patients in the super-specialty block. The old GMC already had 900 patients admitted, South Goa District Hospital, which had a capacity of 500, was managing 700, and ESI Hospital, which had 50 beds pre-Covid, was treating 234.
At its peak, GMC saw up to 130 admissions per day.
The pandemic also upgraded the state’s laboratory services. RT-PCR laboratories were set up at Mapusa, Margao and Ponda and one is being set up at Chicalim.
“The RT-PCR lab can be used in future to diagnose other diseases like dengue, leptospirosis, tuberculosis, cervical cancer etc. This is definitely a plus for the future,” said a doctor.
The state went a step ahead and set up a genome sequencing laboratory at Asilo Hospital, reducing the state’s reliance on laboratories in other states and reducing the waiting period for test results.
After the second wave, the focus was on building the infrastructure for the third wave, with a special focus on the pediatric population. Newborn care facilities in GMC were improved and enhanced. A Center of Excellence in Pediatrics is being established at GMC with Telemedicine for Pediatric Care.
A high dependency unit has already been commissioned at South Goa District Hospital, and some equipment has already arrived. In North Goa, the number of beds for a newborn care unit has been increased from five to ten.
“The importance of health and health infrastructure during the pandemic was highlighted,” said a doctor. “Not only in Goa but across the world, everyone realized how little money was being spent on healthcare.” He said that the health department was working for so many years but no credit was received.
The pandemic also brought about better coordination between health centers and the GMC. “Otherwise, the Directorate of Health Services will function independently from the GMC. Here, we worked together,” said the doctor.
In addition, nine PSA oxygen plants were set up during the pandemic – seven under the PM Cares Fund, and two under CSR, reducing hospitals’ dependence on procuring oxygen cylinders.
Last year, TOI reported that oxygen shortage was felt as the Directorate of Health Services awarded a ten-year contract to a single supplier, Scoop Industries Pvt Ltd. The government’s sole reliance on Scoop Industries prompted other suppliers to shut down their manufacturing units in Goa. and established in other states.
During the pandemic, critical care facilities were also upgraded, and a lot of money was spent on high-end equipment, including ventilators, monitors, syringe pumps and other equipment for ICUs, including pediatric care.
There is also currently no shortage of PPE which was experienced in the early days of the pandemic.
Super Specialty Block also opened in GMC covid At a time when the hospital was overcrowded with critical patients from across the state.
GMC’s head of pulmonary medicine, Dr Uday Kakodkar, who was the nodal officer of the Covid hospital in the super-specialty block, told TOI that it was challenging due to the nature of the second wave bringing in a large number of critical patients. Of every 100 patients brought to the GMC in May 2021, 80 will require oxygen, of which 40 will require ventilators.
“On May 4, there were nine admissions, and on May 14, within ten days, we had 123 admissions. No hospital in the world could have imagined such an extraordinary situation. We tried not to send a single patient home and did what we could,” he said, adding that Goa got 200 ventilators under the PM CARES fund.
He also organized the setting up of Super Specialty Block in GMC in record time. “We had to set up the hospital from scratch. Everything from bedsheets and pillow covers to medicines had to be assembled and organized, on an urgent basis. After a few hours we will start a ward, it will be filled up,” he recalls.
The 34-bed ward will have 16 additional beds, taking the capacity to 50. Within 18 days, he said the team had started 12 wards and three ICUs, all of which were completely filled. “In all, we recruited 290 patients in the super-specialty block. The old GMC already had 900 patients admitted, South Goa District Hospital, which had a capacity of 500, was managing 700, and ESI Hospital, which had 50 beds pre-Covid, was treating 234.
At its peak, GMC saw up to 130 admissions per day.
The pandemic also upgraded the state’s laboratory services. RT-PCR laboratories were set up at Mapusa, Margao and Ponda and one is being set up at Chicalim.
“The RT-PCR lab can be used in future to diagnose other diseases like dengue, leptospirosis, tuberculosis, cervical cancer etc. This is definitely a plus for the future,” said a doctor.
The state went a step ahead and set up a genome sequencing laboratory at Asilo Hospital, reducing the state’s reliance on laboratories in other states and reducing the waiting period for test results.
After the second wave, the focus was on building the infrastructure for the third wave, with a special focus on the pediatric population. Newborn care facilities in GMC were improved and enhanced. A Center of Excellence in Pediatrics is being established at GMC with Telemedicine for Pediatric Care.
A high dependency unit has already been commissioned at South Goa District Hospital, and some equipment has already arrived. In North Goa, the number of beds for a newborn care unit has been increased from five to ten.
“The importance of health and health infrastructure during the pandemic was highlighted,” said a doctor. “Not only in Goa but across the world, everyone realized how little money was being spent on healthcare.” He said that the health department was working for so many years but no credit was received.
The pandemic also brought about better coordination between health centers and the GMC. “Otherwise, the Directorate of Health Services will function independently from the GMC. Here, we worked together,” said the doctor.