Not even a month had to pass before the free beds in the general ICU and in the Traumatology ICU of the Virgen del Rocío hospital in Seville were no longer enough to care for the patients. It was this availability of space that determined the Ministry of Health to close this service in the old Military Hospital – currently Doctor Muñoz Cariñanos, dependent on the Virgen del Rocío – from May 1 to “optimize resources.” “Right now around 20% of the beds are not occupied. If they were all occupied and there was a need for more, it would be possible to expand them in the buildings themselves, as contemplated in the high-traffic plans,” sources from the Andalusian Government then justified. That moment has arrived in less than a month. The ICUs, according to the unions, are saturated and health professionals warn that they are overwhelmed. “There is a juggling act going on,” acknowledges an intensivist, who prefers not to give her name, and who was relocated from the Military to her parent company, after the closure of the intensive care unit.
At the moment, according to the professionals consulted, no scheduled surgical operations have been suspended, but problems appear when emergencies arrive, which are not planned. “Trauma patients who should be in the ICU are being transferred to the ward to be able to attend to other emergencies,” warn the UGT union, which also draws attention to the peak of admissions this week, where in one day 231 were treated. patients, when the average is about 100.
Sources from the Ministry of Health recognize that the Virgen del Rocío ICUs “have high occupancy,” but they attribute this situation to “peaks of activity and specific situations.” They also remember that the hospital center is in a position to expand the service by six more beds and it is recalled that they could expand it with those that were closed on May 1 at the Muñoz Cariñanos. However, this option does not seem to be considered in the short term, according to the union sources consulted who have maintained contact with the hospital management.
In fact, as health professionals also warned, in the absence of this unit, essential in any hospital center, there have been transfers of patients from Muñoz Cariñanos who have presented complications to the ICU of Virgen del Rocío. “You can’t play house with healthcare,” laments the intensivist. The administration sources consulted acknowledge that the majority of patients admitted to the Virgen del Rocío ICU are for transplants, which require more recovery time, and for coronavirus. Precisely, the intensive care unit of the old Military Hospital was prepared for cases of respiratory conditions, but the Ministry indicates that these covid patients have other associated pathologies that require them to be admitted to the Virgen del Rocío.
5,000 healthcare workers in limbo
This saturation of the service could worsen when summer arrives, warn the sources consulted. This unrest deepens the deep indignation of the union representatives, who have broken off negotiations with the Ministry of Health after learning of the Board’s professional stabilization plan, adopted without having negotiated with them first and which, they denounce, is left in limbo. to 70% of the almost 7,000 health workers hired in 2020 as reinforcement during the pandemic and who have been linking renovations of different durations since then.
What affects the most is what happens closest. So you don’t miss anything, subscribe.
Subscribe
The Minister of Health, Catalina García, announced this Tuesday that the Board would extend the contracts of 2,382 professionals for one more year, of which 2,177 corresponded to the so-called covid contracts, an initiative for which 142.7 have been allocated annually. millions of euros. Another 3,175 will be renewed only until September 30 – the time in which the SAS staff takes vacations, although García denied that this group was part of the summer plan -; The rest that remains to complete the total of those 6,940 reinforcements (1,588) will be called to cover casualties or vacations of permanent personnel. “First it was not said that they would renew the 20,000 professionals who were hired due to the covid, then there were 12,000, then 7,000 and now 2,177 are going to stay, this represents not only a loss of 5,000 professionals, but a decrease in the quality of care,” underlines Antonio Macías, head of the UGT Health area.
Both this union, CC OO, Csif and Satse left the negotiation table with the Ministry on Tuesday in protest for not having intervened in this decision. The Medical Union was maintained because the renewals affect almost all of the 800 doctors included in that group of 2,382 professionals renewed for one year, sources from that organization acknowledge. “For us this means nothing,” criticizes José Sánchez, general secretary of Satse in Andalusia. The consolidation of positions proposed by the SAS includes 493 nurses, of which 411 will go to primary care and 82 will be case managers. “What happens to the 380 who were in hospitals? “Either they become more professional or they will have to close services,” warns Sánchez, who is also not satisfied with the SAS approach: “Before consolidating new nurses, they could have done it with the more than 400 who are in the schools and who have two years in that position. We have not been asked for our opinion.”
No reinforcements for the summer
The Board’s proposal does not imply any increase in staff for the summer, where in addition to the vacations of an insufficient and saturated staff, is added the fact that in many tourist areas the population multiplies by three. “This is a smokescreen,” insists Macías. The unions also warn that, without more reinforcements, and taking into account that of those almost 7,000 professionals who have de facto being part of the structural staff of the SAS since 2020, 4,763 could not continue as of October, it seems difficult for the Board to be able to fulfill its promise to reduce waiting lists by 18% by the end of the year and by 60% who are out of time for a surgical operation.
The counselor assured that the Board was in a position to meet that objective, but the unions doubt it. “It is only possible if you agree with the private company,” says Macías. Precisely contracting without competition and without advertising, that is, by hitchhiking, with private entities is part of the Board’s shock plan to reduce the number of patients waiting to be treated by the public health system. The first will begin to operate in June in Seville, Huelva and Cádiz, indicated the counselor. 121.3 million euros have been allocated for this. “What waiting list are they going to reduce, if it is not even going to be possible in primary care?” warns Sánchez, who is a firm defender of self-care, instead of going to private healthcare. “If you want public health to be efficient, you have to make policies in line with reality and for that you need a budget and investment,” laments the head of Satse.
#ICUs #Virgen #del #Rocío #saturated #month #service #closed #Military #Hospital #Seville