Short of trained nurses in ICU, Goa to hire more, says Vishwajit Rane

PANAJI: The government has decided to recruit more nursing staff in the face of shortage felt in intensive care units for Covid patients. Experienced nurses will be posted in the high dependency unit of the Goa Medical College (GMC) and hospital, Bambolim that has been created for treating high-risk patients.

“We need additional staff in the intensive care unit (ICU) for Covid patient management. At the earliest, the proposal will be sent for the chief minister’s approval,” said health minister Vishwajit Rane.

The plan is to have one nurse deployed who will look after three to four patients. “Though more staff were recruited recently, it is still not sufficient. We are falling short of ICU trained nurses,” he said.

Meanwhile, the three wards of GMC – 145, 146 and 147 – created for high-risk Covid patients will be commissioned on Monday, said the health minister.

“Patients in these three wards will be admitted from Monday, while the post-operative ward for Covid patients was commissioned on Friday,” he said.

He said oxygen consumption has risen due to Covid-19 and hence one more agency will be taken on board for supplying oxygen cylinders.

Visitors to the wards will be issued passes and the GMC dean will implement it from Monday.

“The system followed in the Covid hospitals for allowing visitors will be implemented in GMC as well,” he said.

The GMC dean will hold a meeting on Monday of the heads of departments and halt non-essential services in the hospital. The staff of those departments will be deployed for Covid duties.

“Only essential services will be continued,” he said.

In view of the spike, he also appealed to people to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on a personal level and by taking all precautions against the virus.