Gommers is therefore concerned about the influx of patients. “In our hospital we admitted ten patients in one day. We have now created over seventy beds for corona patients, but fifty are already occupied. If it continues like this, we will be at our maximum in two days. That is no good feeling. “
Nationally, 2400 IC beds must be realized next Sunday. “We are now at about 1900. Everyone is working hard, but we really need those beds,” says Gommers. Erasmus MC is also working on expansion. “For the next phase, we are even working on a crisis department of another seventy beds. We are working very hard to ensure that we always have a bed for the one patient who needs it.”
According to Gommers, Erasmus MC can provide approximately 108 ICU patients with anesthesiologists and OR staff. Once this is exceeded, this can be at the expense of the quality of care. “The extra beds are really part of a crisis department. We are still working on exactly how we will do that.”
In total there are now more than 1100 people with corona in intensive care in the Netherlands. Ernst Kuipers, chairman of the board of Erasmus MC, says it is important to further expand the IC capacity in Dutch hospitals. Although the IC departments in Dordrecht and Gorinchem are almost full, Kuipers says that there are still places in the region. “We have sufficient regional capacity. Patients will be moved to another hospital in the region where necessary. That could be Maasstad, Ikazia, Franciscus.”
To ease the pressure on ICs in Brabant, corona patients from that province were already spread across the country a few weeks ago. “If South Holland were now the next province, we would also have to spread our patients over the rest of the Netherlands. Ultimately, the whole of the Netherlands is full. Then it would be very critical, “says Gommers. Fortunately, it is not that far.” We have it under control in the coming days, because we scale up well. “
‘Not on top yet’
In the past 24 hours, 175 people across the Netherlands died from the effects of the coronavirus. “I don’t always respond to all figures,” says Kuipers, who is also chairman of the regional body for acute care (ROAZ) in Rijnmond. “Unfortunately, it is in line with expectations. We expect that the number of patients admitted will increase in the coming days. We are not yet at the peak of the peak.”
RIVM is looking at the number of new virus infections and said last week that it seems that the number is going down. Kuipers calls this hopeful. “But the hospitals look at the situation further down the road, when people need a hospital. That means that we expect the number to continue to increase for a while. It is a matter of how it goes by day.”
The materials remain a critical point, according to Kuipers. “We would love to have more supplies so you can look ahead for weeks or months and not have to worry about that.” The hospital uses between five and ten thousand mouth masks per day.
read more
Follow everything about the coronavirus in us special file
– .
