“We are not all powerful, the system can crack”
Alberto Fernández, head of Pulmonology at the Vigués Hospital Complex, had a chat with pulmonologists from Madrid and verified that the first wave had been much more controllable in Galicia, not only because it arrived fifteen days later but because the incidence was lower. “The maximum peak of admissions of Cunqueiro did not reach 200 patients adding ICU and ward while a hospital of our size in Madrid could have 800”. In his opinion, the most important thing was to join forces and he highlighted that the collaboration between Interna and Neumo, who saw patients together for the first two years, was very enriching, as well as the creation of the intermediate care unit with 12 beds or the fact that receive material that was left such as ultrasound machines and respirators in the plant. He regrets the death of patients for whom nothing could be done due to their seriousness and assures that it was recorded that “we are not all-powerful, at any moment the system can crack and become tense.” In the future, he trusts that there will be a true commitment from all parties to health, increasing state budgets and with a centralized and stronger public health, and adds that treatment must continue to be sought.
“The death in solitude of the patients was terrible”
Martín Rubianes, head of Internal Medicine at the Vigués Hospital Complex, acknowledges that at first they thought it would be one of the many germs that exist in the world but that never amount to anything, until it entered Italy. Then the concern increased and 15 or 20 people from the hospital began to meet every morning to plan what could happen. “This was one of the keys, planning. We study the order to close the plants, to enable them just for that, the circuits from the emergency room, everything necessary. Then we got fully involved, at first afraid because the route of transmission was not well known (at first it was said that it was by contact) and because you were afraid to take it home. We were alone on the road to Cunqueiro, the applause touched you because you had great inner anguish and the death in solitude of the patients was terrible, at first it was very hard”. He believes that “we felt very safe but we saw that we are very vulnerable and that globalization can bring a virus in a matter of hours.” Of Internal Medicine, he says that it proved to be crucial and that it is a specialty that is always there when problems arise that nobody knows about, such as rapeseed, HIV or covid.
“We are better prepared for what may happen”
Ángel Pichel, responsible for the Cunqueiro ER, assumes that the first days of the pandemic in the Cunqueiro ER were full of uncertainty, insecurity and fear, acknowledges Pichel. But immediately the circuits changed and the prevention regulations were internalized. In this service, it meant an improvement in the facilities, the creation of new work areas, greater training in the management of respiratory pathologies and preventive measures in the management of emerging diseases that can arrive, such as monkeypox or Marburg. “We are more prepared, we have protocols to anticipate what may happen and not catch us off guard.” Now the covid is no longer scary, it is one more respiratory disease that needs an isolation measure and its management is more normalized. Since the pandemic, ERs have suffered an increase in their workload for various reasons, not just covid and respiratory infections. In February of this year, they exceeded themselves with 411 daily patients, although they also acknowledge that they continue with the H team, a reinforcement in the pits that had been put into a pandemic and that they recovered last November so that they work from Monday to Friday.
“The infirmary had direct contact with the infected”
Antonio Rodríguez, covid auto and vaccination coordinator nurse, was in Italy when the covid arrived in that country and returned to Vigo being very aware that “a pandemic was coming and we had to fight it.” Until then he was not worried because the news from China indicated that there were few cases for the size of Wuhan with 11 million inhabitants. Antonio was the person who was commissioned by the former manager and current councilor to take charge of the first covid car in Galicia and Spain, which was copied from South Korea and started working at the Meixoeiro to carry out PCR tests on a massive scale. . “When he went through the corridors, other colleagues moved away out of fear.” He assures that nursing played a key role because these professionals have more direct and physical contact with patients, and that they did their job despite the fact that at first there were not suitable facilities for everyone. He also highlighted vaccination, a task that fell to him in the last stage, and that “got us out of the pandemic.” He says that the population valued the work of the toilets and was sympathetic to the queues on the days that they came to cite up to 12,000 people in Ifevi or 4,000 for a PCR.
