South Goa district hospital to treat COVID-19 patients

As per directions of the Medical Council of India, final year MBBS students to be deployed as residents," the minister tweeted. Till Tuesday, the state reported 21,630 COVID-19 cases and 256 deaths due to the disease..

The Goa health department has decided to convert the South Goa District Hospital into a facility for COVID-19 patients, state Health Minister Vishwanjit Rane said. The hospital located in Margao town will start operating as a COVID-19 treatment facility with 250 beds from Friday, Rane said on Tuesday.

The decision has been taken in the wake of rise in number of COVID-19 cases in the coastal state. As of now, COVID-19 patients in the state are being treated at the ESI Hospital in Margao (South Goa), the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near Panaji (North Goa) and the Sub-District Hospital in Ponda (South Goa).

The GMCH and the state Directorate of Health Services will have an integrated team to work at the new COVID-19 hospital, which will have a pool of medical officers, expert doctors, nurses and medical technical staff, Rane said. Two ambulances would be stationed at the hospital to shift critical patients to the ESI Hospital, located a few km away, or to the GMCH near Panaji, he said.

Rane also said that the Old Hospicio Hospital building, which was being vacated after a new sub-district hospital was constructed in Margao, would be reverted as a district hospital. "Final-year nursing students to be deployed at Non- COVID health care centers to release experienced nurses for COVID duty. As per directions of the Medical Council of India, final year MBBS students to be deployed as residents," the minister tweeted.

Till Tuesday, the state reported 21,630 COVID-19 cases and 256 deaths due to the disease.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)