Hospital emergencies in the province have seen the end and beginning of the year marked by high demand for care, largely due to an increase in cases of influenza A and other respiratory infections.
Influenza A is the leading cause of emergency room visits to hospitals in Ciudad Real in recent days. Likewise, cases of COVID-19 have been recorded, however, the currently dominant variant is less virulent, minimizing the number of patients requiring emergency medical care and facing the disease at home.
Cases of influenza and other respiratory infections have increased exponentially across the country since early December, and Ciudad Real is not immune. In this sense, emergency services, internal medicine, as well as paediatrics have been grappling with this situation in recent days due to respiratory infections in children, and it is foreseeable that this will continue in the coming days due to the outcome of the meeting. Family during Christmas and New Year period.
Given this situation, it is recommended to follow the recommendations for the use of masks in health centers.
900 patients over the weekend
According to Sescam sources, a total of 900 people received emergency services at the Ciudad Real General Hospital from Saturday, December 30 to Monday, January 1. Specifically, there were 286 people on December 30, 287 on New Year’s Eve, and 327 on New Year’s Day. The number of patients visiting the emergency department of Ciudad Real Hospital was 1,098, which was slightly lower than the previous week (December 25 to 27), but still above the normal average.
CSIF complaints
Regarding the emergency, the Center of Independent Trade Unions and Civil Servants (CSIF) issued a statement today denouncing the saturation of emergency services at the General University Hospital in Ciudad Real (HGUCR). In this sense, he reported that on January 1, “the staff was completely overwhelmed due to lack of personnel” and treated 277 patients.
The union denounces the lack of contingency plans in the HGUCR, which are crucial to provide an effective and rapid response to the increase in pressure on healthcare and emergencies, affecting the collapse currently suffered by Castilian health services. La Mancha (Sescam).
In this regard, he reported that yesterday, only three doctors, assisted by three first-year residents, had to handle 277 patients, which means that each doctor was handling an average of more than 90 patients. The union lamented: “This chronic shortage of professionals occurs across all categories and is now even more pronounced with the increase in respiratory illnesses.”
In this sense, notes Ana Isabel Fernández, head of CSIF Sanidad Ciudad Real, “the waiting time for patients can exceed five hours and all staff are on the verge of fainting, completely overwhelmed by the lack of foresight in solving the situation” It becomes chaotic, there is no space to care for patients, and despite respiratory illnesses, patients are mixed together, creating a risk of contagion. “
The union added that it was the incidence of acute respiratory diseases, with 1,368 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Castile-La Mancha from December 18 to 24, that led to a doubling of hospital admissions at the factory increased, especially severe pneumonia and COVID-19.
Likewise, CSIF noted that delays in primary care appointments, with waits exceeding two weeks, impacting emergency services at different hospital centers and continuing care sites unable to cope with current pressures and assistance.
SESCAM’s response to CSIF
Responding to CSIF’s statement, SESCAM said: “It is false that there were only three doctors caring for patients yesterday. There are always at least four doctors on all shifts (24/7) and we have to do morning and afternoon shifts as well as any admissions that may be there Three other reinforcements are added to the physicians. Not including the two pediatric emergency physicians and corresponding hospitalists, there are seven total.”
SESCAM added that yesterday the HGUCR emergency room “recorded the expected numbers, similar to those on any Monday (327 patients) (last Monday, on Christmas Day, 311 people entered the emergency room), so we cannot speak of a collapse. This morning, Only four waiting patients have been transferred to the ward. There are still beds.”
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