Internists warn: care for chronically ill patients in jeopardy | Inland

According to the Dutch Association of Internists, about 80 percent of covid19 hospital patients are currently treated by internists. At the moment, consultation hours are already being canceled in a number of hospitals, so that chronically ill patients with, for example, cancer, kidney disease or diabetes cannot visit their internist.

“We do everything we can to help them, but if the covid19 infections do not quickly decline, we will soon no longer be able to guarantee the quality of care for both the covid19 patients and our regular patients,” said Robin Peeters, internist and chair of the Dutch Internists Association.

The association reiterates the importance of complying with the measures. Peeters: “We have learned a lot since the outbreak of the first wave, the treatment has improved, but together we are responsible for ensuring that the enormous influx of patients does not increase any further. This is only possible by jointly continuing to comply with government measures and realizing that further tightening of these measures is necessary. A situation like the one in March, or worse, otherwise seems inevitable. ”

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