The number of flu cases is going up, and hospitals in the province of Alicante are already having trouble keeping up with the number of patients who are coming in with the virus. In the cities of Alicante, Torrevieja, Orihuela, and Dénia, this is true. According to the report from the Respiratory Infection Surveillance System of the Valencian Health Department (Sivira), hospitalisations for severe respiratory infections have gone up a lot, reaching a rate of 18.5% throughout the Valencian Community.
People over 80 are the most afflicted, and one in three people with acute respiratory illnesses who are in the hospital have the flu. The rate of severe flu is 5.9 instances per 100,000 people, which is the same as it was at the end of January last season.
Doctor Balmis: Hospitals are under moderate to high strain because more people are coming in with breathing problems. Health officials say that on Wednesday, they treated more than 400 individuals at the Primary Care emergency care centre.
There is a lot of stress at Sant Joan Hospital. “All categories need more staff, but the Emergency Department has gotten some: 6 orderlies, 6 nursing assistants, and 6 nurses. Both the workers and the CC OO union say that this hospital doesn’t have enough beds.
“The expansion of the Emergency Department was supposed to involve more staff, but this hasn’t happened as anticipated. For the magnitude of the population handled by this health department, a short boost simply for the flu is not enough. “They added that the number of affiliated nursing homes is one of the things that needs to be looked at.”
200 people are waiting
There were about 15 to 20 persons in the emergency room at Dénia Hospital yesterday, Thursday December 11th, who were waiting for a bed. Some others had to wait up to 40 hours to get onto a ward. “There’s a lot of flu going around and also stomach ache. There were 200 individuals waiting in the emergency room waiting area at its busiest yesterday. There is a lot of stress on the healthcare system, but not too much. Some departments often don’t have enough staff because of sick leave, but other services send people to fill in.
The number of patients with breathing issues at Alcoy Hospital is growing. But “there are no patients in the hallways, the staff is enough, and admission is usually quick.”
Better things are happening at the Marina Baixa Hospital
There are no patients at the Marina Baixa Hospital who don’t have a bed, and the hospital isn’t too full. Sources say that this is because the way the Emergency Department is run has changed, which has made people wait less time. “Because the observation beds have been changed, nursing staff are under more pressure.” Doctors have an easier time, but nurses have a harder time giving ward treatments, ordering labs, and so on. Staff members are unhappy about this. They also say that reopening the ward that was being built has made things better in the Emergency Department, which has always had problems with too many patients and long wait times.
Beds that are open
There are still open beds in the Emergency Department and on the wards at Elche Hospital, but there has been an upsurge in demand from “mild” patients who don’t need to be admitted.
Torrevieja Hospital is quite busy, and they need more nurses to help with the workload. This week, there have been patients in the Emergency Department who have had to wait to be admitted to a ward on some days.
The Orihuela Hospital is also under a lot of pressure, which is the same as what is happening at the other hospitals. Staff sources say that there aren’t enough nursing assistants and doctors.
The Microbiology department at Elda Hospital is upset that there aren’t enough technical and medical staff to check tests during this virus outbreak. This implies that services like Paediatrics may have to keep kids in the hospital for longer than required, which makes the hospital more crowded.
Author: Derek Appleton
Other Articles
A truck runs over a driver who had gotten out of his car on the AP-7
No Comment! Be the first one.