A year ago, the task would have sounded like science fiction, now it’s a reality.
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A temporary hospital for covid patients is being set up on the premises of the Brno Exhibition Center. It will be ready and equipped within fourteen days. If necessary, it will provide care to patients on 324 beds.
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According to the findings of the List of Reports, doctors from Germany and Poland should help with the operation of the facility. On the contrary, the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš did not hear at the request of the city.
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“It’s a de facto creation of a new hospital facility. We need to establish contracts with insurance companies. It is also necessary to provide staff, food, protective equipment, medical supplies. The topic is very broad and will be the subject of stormy negotiations, “said Ondřej Ludka, Medical Deputy of the University Hospital Brno.
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The largest Moravian hospital will be in charge of the operation. Fourteen days ago, Ludka described it as the most crisis possible scenario. “It would be war medicine,” he said at the time.
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Now, according to him, it is likely that a temporary hospital will be needed. Last weekend alone, 34 new patients with covid were added to the Brno University Hospital. “This is the record so far,” confirmed hospital spokeswoman Veronika Plachá.
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Other facilities in South Moravia are also almost full. “Unfortunately, the disease is spreading very intensively and government measures have not been very effective so far. I would be very happy if the capacities of hospitals in the region were not filled, but I am afraid that they will be filled, “admitted Ludka.
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The construction of the hospital will be provided by the city. The exhibition center will pay two million crowns for the construction. He will rent the complex for a symbolic crown from the exhibition center, which belongs to the city companies. In addition to the aforementioned teaching hospital, he also consults with the South Moravian Region on preparation.
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He unsuccessfully asked for help from the government, which, in cooperation with the army, is equipping a field hospital at the exhibition center in Letňany, Prague. The mayor sent a letter to Babiš’s cabinet last week. “Unfortunately, I received a reply from the Ministry of Defense today, stating that they thank them for the offer, but that they only perform the tasks set for them by the government, but did not receive any instructions from it,” the mayor complained.
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According to her, Brno must be able to respond if all hospitals are full. “From all the data we have, we can see that there is a real risk. I assumed that the government would react relatively quickly and offer us any form of cooperation, “said Brno Mayor Markéta Vaňková. But that did not happen. The editorial staff examines the reaction of the Ministry of Health.
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The hospital should have patients with the mildest forms of the disease, who, however, require hospitalization. “Either there will be patients who have already managed the acute phase and are just being treated, or there will be newly infected people who have a minimum of symptoms. In case of deterioration, there will be a fully equipped team that is able to intubate the patient, “added Ludka.
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The city devised a plan for a backup hospital in the spring. It was originally supposed to be operated by the Merciful Brothers Hospital, but this is not possible in terms of capacity. Details are fine-tuned as you go.
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The biggest problem is the staff, which will take care of more than three hundred patients. The Brno University Hospital itself, as well as other facilities in the Czech Republic, are now struggling with its shortage.
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The paramedics at the fairgrounds are to lead special traumas who routinely assist in disasters around the world. It consists of six doctors and eighteen nurses. “Emergency” teams in the same composition are also to come from abroad. “We have promised that Poles and representatives from Germany could show up here. We believe that three such shifts would be enough for the most critical period of two or three weeks, “Ludka added. The government expects that the hospitals will experience the greatest burden in mid-November.
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Hundreds of other nurses or paramedics will be needed for professional doctors. “The region, in cooperation with the Red Cross, helps train volunteers who can work as nurses there,” Ludka specified.
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Dozens of workers have been building the necessary construction in Pavilion G2 since Monday. They use a common material for the installation of trade fair stands. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle. “We are preparing 150 makeshift cubicles. Each of them will be for two patients. The octanorm system is commonly used for the construction of trade fair stands. We will also supply chairs, hangers, waste bins and other furniture, “said Tomáš Moravec from the management of the exhibition center.
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In the next week, the hospital will gradually supply the necessary medical devices. It does not provide for artificial lung ventilation or intensive care units. More severe cases will end up in a classic hospital. “We will deal with further details at the crisis staff. For example, we already know that the beds bought in the spring are not suitable and we have to get other ones, “admitted Ludka.
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The backup hospital should be completely ready for operation in a fortnight.
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