Three victims of Shirgao stampede taken off ventilator

Panaji: A week after a stampede at the Shree Devi Lairai Jatra claimed six lives, all injured persons except for three were discharged from GMC and other hospitals. The three patients, who were critical, were taken off the ventilator and are showing signs of improvement.

“They were serious because they were crushed under several people and had very little chance of survival, but they are receiving the best care at the GMC and are doing better now,” a doctor told TOI. “They were so critical that they had to be put on ventilator support. A special team of doctors constituted only for this purpose has been looking after them. The patients are being monitored around the clock by senior doctors from surgery, anaesthesia, medicine and other departments,” the doctor said, adding that the matter is very sensitive with regular medical bulletins being shared with govt.

“After they’re taken off ventilator support, there are other issues that need to be sorted out. They also suffered multiple fractures and damages to multiple organs,” the doctor said, adding that the surgeries required were immediately performed on an emergency basis.

Over 70 persons were injured in the stampede. More than 21 were admitted at GMC and the rest at the North Goa district hospital and Bicholim and Sanquelim health centres. At the GMC, the injured were treated in a special trauma and emergency unit next to casualty, where a special trauma ICU was set up.