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Plans are being drawn up to treat thousands of non-Covid-19 infected patients as the health service tries to catch up after two months in which normal services were shut down.
The move comes when a high-ranking doctor warned of an “apocalyptic” increase in hospital waiting lists in the coming months as the profession struggles to perform operations while keeping patients separate to stop the spread of the coronavirus. .
The number of procedures that can be carried out safely every day is likely to be halved as strict social distancing and other infection control measures are implemented, said Dr. Gabrielle Colleran, vice president of the Association for Irish Hospital Consultants.
Patients requiring treatment for urgent conditions like heart problems and cancer will be prioritized under the new approach, officials said Sunday.
Health Service Executive (HSE) chief executive Paul Reid promised to publish the plan, but did not say when it will be completed.
Reid said hospital occupancy levels would have to be limited to 80 percent, rather than the normal level of more than 95 percent, to allow safe levels of operation.
Much of the treatment for non-Covid-19 patients will be administered in private hospitals, which are currently working at a third of their capacity.
Second wave
However, Mr. Reid said that the spare capacity would have to be kept in the system in the event of a second wave of the virus later this year.
“If there is any concern about a second increase, there will be a pullback in reducing the restrictions,” said Dr. Siobhán Ní Bhriain, head of integrated care at HSE.
All routine elective procedures were halted in early April to free up space and medical personnel for a dreaded spike in Covid-19 patients.
According to the Government’s roadmap to reopen the country, elective procedures can be resumed in “phase one”, which begins on May 18.
The number of patients in Ireland waiting to be seen by a specialist, who is already the highest in Europe, “will only grow and grow” until a vaccine is developed, Dr Colleran told The Irish Times.
She said there will be a “big impact” from canceled appointments, procedures and operations, as well as new measures being implemented to control any outbreaks of Covid-19 groups in hospitals as they reopen to routine care.
“I don’t like being dramatic or causing fear in patients, but this is going to be apocalyptic,” he said.
Dr. Colleran added that she was “greatly concerned” about the increased morbidity and mortality of people with non-Covid-19-related conditions, including cancer, stroke, and heart disease, due to delays in care for patients.
“Post-match analysis”
“In two or three years, when we’re doing our post-game analysis of how well we do, we have to look at all the deaths.
“It is not just about how many people died from Covid, if our results of a stroke, cancer or heart disease are overlooked and we have far more deaths because people are not going to the hospital, because they are afraid or their surgery was delayed that’s part of the impact. “
Many Irish hospitals are not suited to the new social distancing rules required to allow services to resume.
Both patients and staff will require repeated testing for Covid-19, and infection control requirements are likely to require a change to virtual clinics and electronic switchboards.
Additionally, performance in operating rooms and other clinical settings will decrease because staff will have to regularly put on and take off protective clothing.
Another 19 people diagnosed with Covid-19 have died, the National Public Health Emergency Team revealed Sunday.
There have now been a total of 1,303 deaths associated with the disease in Ireland, it said in its latest update on Sunday.
Another 330 new confirmed cases were also reported. This brings the total number of cases to 21,506.
