“Some very hard weeks”. That’s how resounding a professional Clinical Given the healthcare pressure that the hospital is receiving, the one that has the highest income with Covid from the Malaga province and one of the most ill with this pathology attends Andalusia. Those infected with the virus occupy around half of the beds in this health center and practically one of its two towers in full.
Professionals consulted and representatives of the Medical Union they agreed that there are admitted to that hospital around 260 patients with Covid 19. A health worker explained that, unlike the first wave in which hardly any people came to the emergency room with other pathologies, now, patients with coronavirus are joined by a significant influx of non-Covid patients.
The strategy to make room for the flood of coronavirus patients in hospitals is enable even old cafeterias or waiting rooms as healthcare spaces and refer non-Covid patients from their main buildings to the satellite pavilions.
He Clinical has been using the Guadalhorce Hospital (attached to the first) since the beginning of the pandemic for that purpose. But the situation is getting worse in this third wave. That is why, according to the president of the Medical Union, Antonio Martin, there is a increase the beds of the Cartameño hospital to further decongest the Clinic and free up space in the Teatinos center for more Covid patients. Even professionals pointed out that the Hospital del Valle del Guadalhorce could suspend major outpatient surgery so that the Clinician has more place to refer non-Covid patients. Another option being considered is the transfer of non-Covid admitted to the Maritime, from Torremolinos. This health center depends on the Teatinos hospital.
He Costa del Sol has already started referring patients to Chare de Benalmádena. This center depends on the one in Marbella and also begins to serve as an oxygen balloon to unload the main hospital. In that sense, it fulfills the same function as the Guadalhorce for the Clinic.
The president of the Medical Union affirmed that the professionals of this hospital –especially those of the Emergency Department and ICU– are “Overloaded”. “We are in the worst moments. Why to pressure Covid we must add that it is occurring more pressure not Covid”, He pointed. In addition, he recalled that the rebound in infections will follow with a certain delay the increase in hospitalizations since a certain time elapses since a person contracts the virus until some require admission or intensive care.
The Costa del Sol already refers non-Covid patients to Benalmádena to free up beds
All hospitals try to gain space to serve patients. For example, old cafeterias of the Clínico, the Regional and the comarcal de la Axarquía they are now occupied by beds. In some cases of hospitalization and in others of ICU.
They have also been transformed non-healthcare areas in areas for clinical use. The newly enabled expansion of the Intensive Care Unit of the Regional –Which goes from 40 to 57 beds– it is located in a part until it does nothing for administrative use. Another example is the circuit for patients with respiratory diseases and Covid recently opened at Clinic Emergencies, which occupies what until a few months ago it was the waiting room of that part of the hospital.
He Regional, in turn, maintains various services outside your usual location. Of the general pavilion have been transferred to the Maternal to earn room for Covid revenue. Others have passed from Civil to children’s hospital to make room in the first health center for patients who need to hospitalize the Residency Unit. In addition, all hospitals are suspending non-urgent scheduled operations so as not to have beds occupied with deferrable cases.
In short, a puzzle of measures to try respond at the same time to the pandemic and to oncological or priority pathologies.
