AC at Goa Medical College ICU not working for one month

ACs at GMC ICU not working for one month
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: The air conditioner at GMC’s intensive care unit has not been working for the last one month. And the ACs at coronary care unit and intermediate intensive care unit have been out for a week.
Doctors say such facilities—they being closed areas and patients being in critical condition—24x7 functioning ACs are essential. “The functioning of ACs is a must to maintain sterility, circulation of air and a comfortable ambient temperature for patients,” said Dr Rufino Monteiro, who also works with the ICU at Vintage Hospital, Panaji.
“If the AC doesn’t function 24x7, the room temperature will rise, causing discomfort to patients, disturb their metabolism and deteriorate their condition, besides increasing the risk of infection,” he said.
GMC’s medical superintendent, Rajan Kunkolienkar, said, “For the last two-three weeks there has been trouble as the main transformer has some snag. We have informed Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation and they are in the process of getting replacements. Though the AC is functioning periodically, the effect is not perfect.”
Doctors fear this could increase the risk of infections among patients and also lead to the damage of expensive equipment, like the machine monitoring cardiovascular parameters, respiratory, renal and nervous system functioning.
GSIDC electrical manager N R Vhaval said, “There is a problem with the transformer, but the AC plant works either with the help of the transformer or generator. We don’t know whether the AC is in operation in the rooms as the operating contract is not with us. Even if the AC plant is working but the air handling unit maintained by GMC is not started in the respective rooms, there won’t be any cooling.” Kunkolienkar also said GMC had purchased a new transformer, which arrived on Saturday and would be installed soon. GSIDC confirmed this.
While patients affected by life threatening conditions like acute respiratory failure, cardiac failure, deep coma or major trauma patients are admitted to the ICU, patients with cardiac arrest and blood pressure problems are admitted at the CCU. GMC’s ICU has eight beds, CCU has seven beds and the ICCU has 18 beds.

September 30, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition