Doctor who received the award for his work on the hottest spot on COVID-19: the second wave is coming

One of the awarded doctors is Gintautas Kėkštas, the head of the first resuscitation department of the Santara Clinics. The doctor said the most difficult part was the start of the pandemic.

“It just came to our attention then. Since we were thinking of isolating them in a building at first, it failed, we had to go to the hospital. <...> The work was really a lot because there were many serious patients, most of the patients were ventilated, 4 were connected to the ECM. Now there is less work, few patients remain. However, the second wave of modulation is approaching, as the number of cases in Lithuania is growing, as well as in the world. We cannot relax, said G. Kėkštas.

– What has changed the most is working with security measures. In overalls, three pairs of gloves, glasses, all other accessories. It was really difficult because the perception of the whole environment is slowing down. If we work with all the senses in our daily work, then now those things have become impossible, all the procedures are slower and this causes a lot of discomfort to the doctors ”

When asked by the doctor if he had received all the supplements promised by SAM to the salary, G. Kėkštas replied: “Yes, we have received it. And it has really contributed a lot to sustainable work. At first there was a lot of tension. This, for example, such supplements really helps, because salaries in medicine are not very high right now. Doctors and nurses are always tempted to leave. “

Birutė Brasiūnienė, Head of the Chemotherapy Department at the National Cancer Institute (IMI), who received the award, said it was a pleasant and unexpected surprise.

“I represent the National Cancer Institute and our details during the coronavirus pandemic were truly special. We may not have worked on the front line, but we needed to protect the oncologist from infection and had to continue treatment. To the question of what this award means, I would answer that it means an evaluation by our staff, the entire department, that until now we have not managed to have patients infected with COVID-19 in our institution. I think this is a great evaluation, “said B. Brasiūnienė.

When asked by the doctor if he received the financial supplements promised by SAM, B. Brasiūnienė replied that: “We, the entire National Cancer Institute, have received what the Ministry of Health officially announced.”

Violeta Senavaitienė, a senior nurse in the Endocrinology Department of the Santara Clinics, who offered to work with patients with COVID-19, says that this period was very intense and that the uncertainty about the influx of patients was worrisome.

Furthermore, according to the interlocutor, the patients needed not only treatment but also psychological help, which had to be provided to the nurses.

“I had to speak up, support them, tell us what the disease is and what awaits them.” Help call your loved ones, be a mediator <...> There was anxiety. Although we had all the guards, inside we felt a little alarmed. We have been reunited with my parents recently since early March, “said V. Senavaitienė.

According to V. Senavaitienė, all supplements to the salary were received.

Ask medical institutions to pay for supplements faster

These medals, created by Minister A. Veryga himself specifically for the doctors who fought against the coronavirus, have been the subject of much debate in society.

“We have prizes that we give on the occasion of Medical Day, but they have a slightly different purpose, there was no such specific label to mention COVID-19. As a result, the idea came up to draw, to relate it to the special occasion of the awards, “said A. Veryga.

“It just came to our attention then. However, many things happen in life and are associated with various characters. For example, I have many Sąjūdis insignia at home. And those characters help you remember. And these awards are meant to honor and prevent him from forgetting this time, ”said the SAM chief.

It is up to the treatment facility itself to decide which workers will receive supplements for their work during a pandemic.

However, according to some doctors, the promised supplements are still not seen.

“The decisions about bonuses and salary increases were made long before the awards began. Of course, each institution handles it differently and we hear all kinds of stories. We are really monitoring the situation, we have a monitoring team and we are asking for supplements. they must be delivered to the doctors, ”said the SAM chief.

As the number of coronavirus cases increases, we will return to the masks.

On Wednesday, 10 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Lithuania. However, Veryga said there were no plans to return to mandatory use of face masks as of yet.

“But if we see the number of cases grow as they do in some parts of the world, the masks could be one of the first measures to return,” Veryga said.

As the minister said at the awards, we have survived as long as others have not survived in life in recent months, but that is probably not the end.

“The rhythm was so difficult to imagine. <...> It was as if there was no spring because it was difficult to orient when it was morning and when it was night or weekend. However, it is still difficult to rejoice, as figures in Europe show that we are more likely to have recurrences of infection waves than we will not. Apparently, it will be necessary to go back to various measurements again after a while, “said A. Veryga.