4 on ventilator, 2 critical four days after Shirgao stampede

Panaji: Four days after the Shirgao jatra stampede, four persons continue to be on ventilator support at Goa Medical College (GMC), Bambolim. Two of them — one in their 40s and the other in their 50s — are said to be critical, as they suffered head injuries with cerebral hypoxia, a condition when the brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen even though blood flow is adequate.“They began running a fever on Wednesday and require a higher dose of antibiotics. We have stepped up their antibiotics,” a doctor told TOI. A neurologist regularly examines them for central nervous system functioning. In addition, the two patients also reportedly suffered fractured ribs.GMC discharged four persons on Wednesday. The hospital saw 21 admissions, of which six have been discharged. The 15 still undergoing treatment are being looked after by a team of physicians, anaesthetists, and surgeons in the trauma and emergency ward, where a special trauma ICU has been set up. The others, who have been discharged, suffered fractures. To date, none of the patients have required surgeries. Many suffered abrasions—skin peeling on their back because they were pulled out in haste from the stampede. Some have been discharged after the wounds on their back healed. The stampede on the second day of the Shree Devi Lairai Jatra claimed six lives, including that of a 16-year-old boy and his aunt, and over 70 were injured. The jatra concluded on Tuesday amid heavy police cover to thwart any untoward incidents.The fact-finding committee is yet to submit its report on the stampede, said to be the first in post-Liberation Goa’s history.