Many of the country’s hospitals are under pressure. All hospitals in Vestre Viken are now on green alert, warns the health authority.
– The number of patients with respiratory infections is high and there is a high absenteeism rate. It was therefore decided to enter green readiness, writes Vestre Viken on her website.
This applies to hospitals in Bærum, Drammen, Kongsberg and Ringerike.
Different levels of preparedness can have quite different meanings for different health care institutions. This means ecological preparation for Vestre Viken:
Emergency management is established, individual functions can be strengthened.
Greater attention to unclear situations where extraordinary measures and resources may be needed.
Challenging situation
Over the weekend, Stavanger University Hospital raised its emergency response to the green level.
– This is very demanding for our employees. Obviously we should have wished for a more normal operating situation. There are many who have worked a lot in recent years and who also have to work a lot more now, Deputy General Manager Elisabeth Farbu tells VG.
The hospitals in Elverum, Hamar and Gjøvik also moved to the same level of preparation on Tuesday.
Divisional manager Håvard Kydland says sick leave has reached up to 20% in some departments.
– Many patients have respiratory infections and the increased need for isolation of infected patients leads to a more challenging operating situation. This is why the division chooses to go on alert.
– Tasty
Bergen’s Haraldsplass Diakonale hospital is impressive, he writes Bergens Tidende Wednesday.
The hospital initially has room for 150 patients, on Wednesday the number rose to 180.
– I have never seen such a huge overcrowding in my time, managing director Kjerstin Fyllingen, who has ten years of hospital experience, tells the newspaper.
– Follows the situation closely
The situation at Haukeland Hospital in Bergen is also challenging, Deputy Director General Clara Gram Gjesdal tells VG.
The reason is a large influx of patients and an increase in sick leave among employees.
“We are following the situation closely with daily capacity meetings to ensure patient flow across the board and we hold regular operational meetings to assess the overall situation in the hospital, says Gjesdal.
He says the hospital is currently managing this as part of routine operations, but that they are assessing preparedness on an ongoing basis.
Even in the northernmost county of the country there are many inpatients, but the main challenge is a little different:
– The biggest challenge is that there are many patients ready for discharge, especially in the municipality of Tromsø and Harstad. It is very problematic, especially in the situation we are in now, says Einar Bugge.
He is currently Deputy Director General at University Hospital of Northern Norway (UNN).
– The situation with us is that it is relatively full, but it is not quite critical. We consider it manageable for now, says Bugge.
Finnmark Hospital also has problems with patients ready for discharge, particularly in West Finnmark.
– There are many patients ready for discharge. When we don’t get them out, we also don’t have the ability to introduce new ones, says Medical Department Director Harald G. Sunde.
