The Primary services of the Region will recover full face-to-face activity next week
The Ministry of Health will deactivate the Covid alert in Primary Care next week, which will allow all normal activity to be recovered, according to the counselor, Juan José Pedreño, yesterday. Health centers have maintained face-to-face consultations during the sixth wave, even at times of greatest avalanche of infections, but the gaps have had to be reduced so that professionals could take care of patients with Covid. Now, with the decrease in incidence, it is back to normal. A normality, yes, marked by the structural deficits of Primary, such as the shortage of family doctors and paediatricians.
A new circular from the managing director of the SMS, Francisco José Ponce Lorenzo, establishes that from now on “the structure of the agenda of all professionals must be flexible and will be aimed at avoiding delays” of more than three days in the appointments that are managed through the Web. These delays “never” should exceed five days, Ponce warns. During the last months, the delays in many consultations have widely exceeded these five days, reaching ten days or even two weeks, as reported by the White Tide.
In the circular, the managing director of the SMS points out that “face-to-face care and that of patients who need to be seen on the day” will be prioritized. In addition, “special attention should be paid to the scheduled follow-up of chronic and immobilized patients, being proactive in recruiting them and promoting home care, both by Nursing and Family Medicine”.
“Special attention should be paid to the scheduled follow-up of chronic patients,” says the managing director
Reinforcement continues.
Regarding care for Covid, “antigen test schedules will be maintained in the health center, both for patients with symptoms that require it and for those who request a self-appointment as close contacts.” However, “Public Health will continue to detect and monitor close contacts in all areas (leisure, work and school) and will manage appointments for testing to those who meet the criteria for it.”
In short, the support of Public Health is maintained to try to alleviate the saturation suffered by Primary, and the Covid reinforcement teams will also continue, with this objective, which assume the monitoring of patients in home isolation.
“priority criterion”
The Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño, who appeared after the weekly meeting of the Covid Committee, explained that the SMS “will work this week with the teams of the respective health areas to implement this measure (the elimination of the different levels of alert), maintaining attendance as a priority criterion in patient care».
Pedreño defended that his department “has not spared” in making available to the health system “the necessary resources for the care system in each case”, and valued the work of Primary Care, which “once again has been the containment dam ».
It is a return to “a deficit normality. If there are no resources, delays cannot be avoided,” warns Marea Blanca
The Association of Health Users, integrated into the Marea Blanca, applauds the return to normality announced by Health, although it recalls that health centers have not abandoned face-to-face attendance at any time. In addition, it is a return to “a deficit normality.” “If there are no resources, delays cannot be avoided,” warns María Teresa Martín, president of this organization. The Mar ea Blanca will once again concentrate at the doors of health centers throughout the Region this Thursday.