“The issue is top priority. The shift in South Goa district hospital will happen in phases. It is high time,” he said.
TOI had reported about the acute shortage of space in the old hospicio, which was causing trouble to the patients who were forced to wait outside the hospital building without any cover. Due to paucity of beds, patients are also being discharged early and sent to the periphery.
Hundreds of patients visit the hospital’s OPD every day and there are casualties. In contrast, the 560-bed South Goa District Hospital currently has only 14. The Covid-19 patients are staying in only one ward and the hospital is almost empty. About 200 patients visit Hospicio’s medicine OPD every day and there is no scope for social distancing due to overcrowding.
Last year, before the monsoon, Hospicio shifted all its OPDs to the district hospital and medicine ward, where the maximum number of patients visit. It was taken back after hospital beds were needed for Covid-19 patients.
This time shift back is expected to be easy as the district hospital is already running with all the facilities and the authorities will not have to shift the equipment from the old hospital like last year.
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