Samaritan Association volunteers will assist in the care of Covid-19 patients at Stradins Hospital / Article

Volunteers will provide psycho-emotional and practical assistance to Covid-19 patients receiving hospital treatment, as well as other support activities to support the hospital’s treatment and care process. It is planned that the volunteers will be involved in such activities as turning the patients to the side, feeding them, covering the beds, helping to move.

“The essence of the Samaritan organization is to help people. And right now in hospitals, there is a crisis situation where every workforce can help so much!

Volunteering is not a profession, but a call to the heart, and it is amazing that there are people who are fearless and without thinking about themselves, ready to go to the rescue. Most of them are young people who are studying medicine, but there are also people with different experiences who want to help, ”said Laura Bulmane, volunteer coordinator of the Latvian Samaritan Association.

Pauls Stradiņš University Clinical Hospital is the second largest inpatient hospital for Covid-19 patients in Riga. With the increase in morbidity rates in Latvia and the number of patients who need the help of the hospital and its facilities, the hospital has organized admissions, opening wards in various buildings of the hospital, focusing on new infrastructure, timely preparation of new wards 1st floor.

“Before the pandemic, our hospital visitors and guests often asked the question – what is this white space for? Now, these rooms, which were originally intended for disasters, have now fully justified themselves. We have filled them with beds and the necessary equipment so that in a situation where the patients in the existing ward can no longer be admitted, we have the opportunity to provide assistance to patients. However, that is only part of the work we need to do.

The second, our most difficult problem to solve is labor, because there is a lot to do!

We are glad that, if necessary, we are cooperating with a reliable and experienced partner, whose assistance and human resources will be extremely important in overcoming this crisis, ”said Ilze Kreicberga, a member of the hospital’s board.

Volunteers will be provided with all necessary personal protective equipment to ensure full volunteer protection against Covid-19. Throughout the volunteer’s work, the volunteer has a Covid-19 or Covid-19 vaccination certificate.

If anyone wants to join the volunteers, they should contact the Latvian Samaritan Association volunteer work coordinator Laura Bulmani.

CONTEXT:

Covid-19 morbidity Reaching the all-time high in Latvia, declared a state of emergency in the medical sector. Doctors raised concerns about the immediate need for strict restrictions in the country. The government declared a state of emergency, with restrictions aimed at increasing the coverage of Covid-19 vaccination. However, seeing that the spread of the virus is growing and Latvia is in the first place in the world In terms of Covid-19 prevalence, the government from October 21 to November 15 introduced the so – called “arcade” and housekeeping.

In hospitals in Latvia already exceeded Reception capacity of Covid-19 patients. That’s why the government has decided that it will gradually open up to another 2,500 beds for Covid-19 patients for EUR 3.6 million. At the same time, hospitals are understaffed and doctors from the private sector, as well as non-professionals, are being called upon to help with Covid-19 patients.

In the Covid-19 crisis scenario, when the number of beds occupied by Covid-19 patients would reach 3000, in Latvia near hospitals intended to be deployed modular buildings for the treatment of Covid-19 patients. It is planned to expand the beds elsewhere, for example, in sanatoriums and private medical institutions, but together with the National Armed Forces, a hospital is planned. This is tentatively possible around November 10.

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