Beja hospital has no beds for patients with covid-19 who need intensive care, due to works, which has already forced eight users to be transferred to other hospitals, according to unit president.
Since last September, when the works to remodel the Intensive Care Unit began (UCI), the hospital in Beja “does not have intensive care beds for covid-19 patientsâ€, the chairman of the board of directors of the Local Health Unit of Baixo Alentejo told the Lusa agency today (ULSBA).
That is why, explained Conceição Margalha, patients with covid-19 admitted to the hospital in Beja who need intensive care must be transferred to other hospitals.
Since the beginning of the works and until today, needed, the hospital has already transferred eight covid-19 patients in need of intensive care to the EspÃrito Santo de Évora Hospital (HESE) and to the Hospital do Litoral Alentejano (HLA), in Santiago do Cacém.
According to the official, before the pandemic, the ICU at the hospital in Beja had eight beds (four on the floor 1 and four on the floor 3).
Already during the pandemic, and UCI, using other spaces in the hospital "where the activity was suspended or temporarily reduced", arrived at 16 Beds (eight for covid-19 patients and eight for others).
Now, due to works in the UCI space on the floor 1, scheduled to end in March 2022, the hospital only provides intensive care to patients with illnesses other than covid-19 and in eight beds on the floor 3.
Today, Beja hospital has five patients in the Covid-19 Medical Inpatient Service, namely three women and two men, between 57 and 98 year old.
Conceição Margalha said that, currently, the hospital "is not feeling pressure" due to the increase in the number of infected people registered in the last few days in Portugal.
However, remembered, felt "some pressure" in October, when it registered an "increase in admissions" and had 15 patients with covid-19 hospitalized simultaneously.
Na height, the hospital had 15 beds in the Covid-19 Medical Inpatient Service, but, However, closed three and currently has 12, He explained.
"As needed", the hospital is decreasing or increasing the number of inpatient beds for patients with covid-19, but, due to the works at the UCI, "can't go much further than 15", he stressed.
If more than 15 patients with covid-19 and need for hospitalization, the hospital will have to "reallocate its capacities and see if it can create more beds or not", said.
"Although the numbers [of infected] may increase, the fact that we have such a high vaccination rate means that the need for hospitalization is not expected to be as great as it was in January [this year]", predicted, referring to the previous vacancy.
According to the official, 85,6% of users with more than 12 years enrolled in ULSBA health centers have full covid-19 vaccination.
Asked if the hospital has enough human resources to face a possible new vacancy, Conceição Margalha just recalled that they "were reinforced" in the previous vacancy and, currently, ULSBA does not provide reinforcement.
Lusa questioned the president on whether human resources will be reinforced in case of need and Conceição Margalha said that "it depends on the financial means" for hiring that "are given at the time" to the ULSBA.
News: Lidador NotÃcias/ oDigital/ Lusa
