From the lips of young doctors: shocking testimonies about the situation in hospitals: we are at war

“(…) The interim manager called her and said: you have no other option, you will go to work alone tomorrow”, this is one of the anonymous testimonies of resident doctors published by the Association of Young Doctors.

Another young doctor said that in the current situation, they do not know when they will return from work or if they will return tonight.

“The working hours no longer mean anything, we are at war,” said the young doctor.

The testimonies of young doctors can be deduced from discontent, confusion and anxiety about the current situation, for which at least some of them have not been prepared separately.

“If the administration can cover all the gaps as neighbors and speak of mystical reserves, that is what I am doing here under constant stress, financial, social and psychological instability,” one of them asked rhetorically.

The transfer of COVID-19 patients to one of the wards of the Vilnius University Hospital Santara Clinics Children’s Hospital received stormy reactions. However, according to young doctors themselves, the experience in treating adults with infectious diseases is not limited to resident children.

“No one is trained, not just the resident children. Only the resident children saw a sick adult for the last time when their grandfather had a heart attack during 2012. Christmas, ”says one of the published testimonies.

Distributed an appeal on the situation of medical residents

The Young Doctors Association, in response to the testimonies of the resident doctors, distributed a public address to the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LSMUL Kaunas Clinics, Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine and VUL Santara Clinics .

“For some time, the Association of Young Doctors has received testimonies from resident doctors about irregularities in medical facilities when making decisions about the redistribution of human resources during the Covid-19 pandemic. For half a year, we have observed the contempt and inactivity of epidemiological predictions at the level of the entire state and part of medical institutions – without using this time to model possible scenarios and prepare detailed plans, open and deepen holes in the health system. , as usual, try to cover resident doctors ”. signed by Kristina Norvainytė, president of the Young Doctors Association.

The Association of Young Doctors emphasizes that, given the seriousness of the epidemiological situation, they support the principle of solidarity between all the actors in the health sector, but they do not tolerate decisions that violate the rights of resident doctors and often other doctors.

“We strongly oppose the forced transfer of resident doctors to the wards of patients infected with Covid-19. We remind you that according to the tripartite employment contract, medical institutions only implement the relevant part of the residency study program, therefore Therefore, any change in the organization of medical institutions with respect to resident doctors should be coordinated with medical universities with resident doctoral representatives. Medical institutions do not have the right to manipulate resident doctor flows without prior approval from the aforementioned structures. and the consent of the resident doctor, ”the statement said.

The Young Doctors Association notes that:

• Resident physicians are entitled to adequate compensation, allowances and adequate guarantees based on accurate hourly accounting;
• Even during a state of emergency in the country, resident doctors are subject to the basic principles of employment: the right to rest, timely information (at least two working days) about changes in working hours, and a rational time to prepare for future changes in work organization;
• During the resident doctors’ on-call time, a specialist doctor must be physically on call with him; We remind you that medical institutions had half a year to prepare human resource logistics schemes that would affect the emotional and physical well-being of specialists, resident doctors, nurses, and support personnel;
• When transferring medical staff to patients infected with Covid-19, treatment facilities must provide adequate nursing diagnosis, treatment and training for patients; our patients have the right to safe and quality healthcare, even in times of crisis.

“We remind you that all decisions are made by doctors and patients, who have to pay a personal price, when these decisions are made in a hurry, without listening to staff and despite core values. Even in times of crisis, we have no right to forget that the health system must first remain human-centered, ”the speech reads.

He spoke openly about the daily routine of work.

Delfi recalls that after the delicate messages of the weekend from the young doctor about working under COVID-19 conditions, the director of the Center for Infectious Diseases of Clinicas VUL Santara prof. Ligita Jančorienė, who circulated a public speech.

The professor spoke openly about his daily work routine.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, which has accelerated in the last nine months, has not escaped even to the most remote corners of the world, it has affected us all, but the biggest challenges have been faced by doctors and everyone else. working in the healthcare sector Conspiracy theories that infection does not exist end at the threshold of a hospital, clinic or nursing home when you see patients affected by the infection and doctors tired of constant stress Not many doctors have experienced the symptoms of the disease caused by the pandemic virus, most of them were exposed to the infection at work, but they lost their professional risks of sick doctors, we all understand the details of our work, we observe all personal protection requirements and we fulfill our duties, as we are committed to, ”wrote Prof. L. Jančorienė.

The professor is open to the fact that the consecutive months of the pandemic, the dashed hopes that the infection will recede soon, the undoubted increase in morbidity in the fall and winter months, sow the feelings of fatigue, irritability, fear, dissatisfaction that to often feel like a doctor working on the front lines of this war.

“In the spring, the idea emerged that we managed to prepare both physically and morally before the pandemic reached Lithuania. Fears were definitely in everyone’s heart and mind, but the beds in the hospital or the resuscitation room were enough for everyone, none of us had to make the most difficult decision: choosing which patient to rescue and who we will no longer be able to. help, ”said L. Jančorienė.

Tensions are rising in both society and the medical community

The director of the Center for Infectious Diseases said the situation is much more complicated today as the number of infected people increases and so does the tension in both society and the medical community.

“The situation has changed especially in recent weeks, when decisions at all levels of administration (SAM, Vilnius city municipality, patient support and organizational administrations) had to be taken very quickly. When all the beds in the infectious diseases unit are filled by COVID-19 infection, when all the surveillance isolation rooms and the hospital are full, the patient who suffocates in the Admissions Department has to wait 24 hours in a hospital and the number of these patients grows by the hour. To some extent, the stresses of all of us are already difficult to measure.

In recent days, the administration of the organizing hospital has had to make immediate decisions, even feeling a flush of dissatisfaction, reproach or even anger. It is understood that any change – the participation of a doctor of any specialty, a specialist in non-infectious diseases, the retraining of another hospital ward – would begin in a normal time of discussions and discussions, of medical education, training. Even if sometimes we feel that time is lacking for common agreements, we have chosen a way of life where the life of a person, his health is the greatest value for which we fight, even when we are very tired, sometimes frustrated, perhaps even feeling injustice. It is understandable, very human. There have been and definitely will be mistakes, perhaps not all decisions of decision makers at different levels are correct, there may be more and more time for conversations, discussions and finding compromises. But now we all have a duty to save people’s lives, “said L. Jančorienė.