An ambulance was called from Vilnius to Ukmergė: the arriving doctor did not stop the tears: a 35-year-old patient died without receiving help

An ambulance travels from Vilnius back to Ukmergė to a patient who is not breathing at a speed of 170 km / h. Cars on the road see a howling siren and beacons pull to one side.

“I observe the driver who drives the car steadily, who sometimes rubs his nose because the chlorine does not run out after disinfection. We bend the entire column. Necessary tools in hand, running to the fifth floor, burning candle and family crying … Compassion, helplessness, anger, resentment, chest fatigue mixed with tears in the eyes … Telephone call from dispatchers with power of questions.

Why do you only have so many brigades? What makes up the schedules? Why are there only two guard brigades left at night? I do not have answers. And I would very much like to ask myself, looking straight ahead: are the most important priorities in the area now the infrastructure of a military city or the reconstruction of the streets?

Those who have the answers open the wall of silence and inaccessibility. Even the quick signatures of employees on the increase in the number of brigades do not reach them … Although it is sent to the municipality and the mayor 2 times.
Some elections are over, others are not over yet. No need to share medals and thank you yet … why bother? ”Asked the doctor rhetorically on Facebook.

All Ukmergė patients must be transported to other cities.

This situation is just one more accident, for several very clear reasons. One of them is that the number of ambulance transfers from Ukmergė to other cities is increasing significantly, while the number of ambulances has only decreased.

Currently, only patients with coronavirus infection receive treatment at Ukmergė Hospital. This hospital has become a so-called “support” due to the sharp increase in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This means that from other cities, where there is no longer a place for coronavirus patients in hospitals, they are transported to Ukmergė. And Ukmergė patients have to go to other cities.

“Transportation to Vilnius is increasing. Even without covidinių patients, most patients need to be transferred to other treatment facilities, such as the Vilnius University Hospital. Clearly, the people who end up in those hospitals get more skilled help, but they need to be transported there. And they are not growing for the first time, – said Jolanta Keburienė, the president of the Solidarumas union for medical personnel.

– And what has happened now – basically the Ukmergė Hospital is partially operational or, you can say that it does not work at all, because it has been reorganized into the COVID-19 Hospital. When we see that a patient needs more serious help in a hospital, we must take him to the first aid department. As Ukmergė Hospital is practically closed, they are the same covidiniai patients diagnosed with coronavirus are transported first to the Vilnius Hospital for Infectious Diseases and only then to Ukmergė. Sometimes one post per day can make five such transfers. “

On the unfortunate day that the doctor spoke about on the social network, a call was received from a feverish and dusty patient who had to be transported from Ukmergė to Vilnius. At that time, there were no ambulances left in Ukmergė, they were all on duty.

“I don’t know if they were all in Vilnius, because now we transport everywhere: Elektrėnai, Molėtai, Utena, Panevėžys. In practice, he takes the patient and has to call the surrounding hospitals, which of them can receive him”, J. Keburienė said.

The same problem throughout Lithuania

When asked if this procedure seems normal to the doctors themselves, the interviewee replied that it really was not. Currently, however, funding for ambulances is broken down by population, despite the sharp increase in transport to other cities.

“And now that the hospital is closed, leaving the number of positions that there were during the first wave is beyond any logic. The crew, after going to 2 stopovers, seems very small, they travel 360 km. By way of comparison, two calls in the past, when there was no need for transportation, were perhaps about 60 km, “said the doctor.

It seems that it is not safe to live in remote areas and villages at this time, because the highway may not be able to reach you. And J. Keburienė also supports this idea.

“It just came to my attention then. We don’t ask that question during the first year. The mere fact that the ambulance has to go to the emergency call to the villager in 25 minutes, in the city in 15 minutes. This already discriminates against the rural population. Don’t they die differently? And mortality, especially from accidents, is higher in rural areas in particular. Currently, the situation is even worse, “said the interlocutor.

However, this is not just Ukmergė’s problem. According to union representative J. Keburienė, these complaints can be heard in many regions. In addition, the Ministry of Health recognizes it. However, reforms have not yet been implemented. One of the problems is that money for emergency medical care can go to completely different purposes.

“Fasting has a very different addiction. Those who belong to the health centers do not receive the funds allocated to them at all. The primary health care center wants to benefit and benefit from that ambulance. We also had to communicate with the Minister, he said that even if we increase funding, those finances will probably not reach the ambulance and will “settle” in the primary health care center, “said J. Keburienė.

You do not see help from the municipality

According to the doctor, it has already been decided that the ambulance should be not only close to the cities, but also throughout Lithuania, as if it were a cobweb covering the entire country. But if this government does not, now a change is expected from another. Still, some renovations cannot wait.

“But we need help now, we need to increase the number of positions, it is already necessary.” There were 4 guard crews in the spring, now, in December, we have a schedule of 2. I don’t know how our managers count when the number of cases of coronavirus is increasing and they have reduced the number of positions, “said the interlocutor.

According to J. Keburienė, no real help is received from the municipality.

“There are about 34 people in our team. When we had the virtual meeting, signatures were collected so that the 4th place Express would work again. Now sometimes there are two left. When someone from the municipality or the leaders says that there really are not two, I have graphs to write 2. There was a case in which one was left for a few hours, the interlocutor named the problems.

– In a couple of days, about 20 signatures were collected from our employees. Those who were sick, in self-isolation, couldn’t sign on vacation because no one was going home with them. I don’t know if around 20 out of 34 people are just “some people” who are hampered by something [mintyje turima Dariaus Varno teiginį, kad ši situacija kliūna tik keliems darbuotojams – aut. past.] We have signatures, we have sent them to address that issue. “

The head of administration says the situation is known

Dalius Varnas, head of the Ukmergė district municipal administration, said the situation is known and nothing is being done about it, which is not true.

“It just came to our knowledge then. This issue was discussed in committee today and another committee will be invited next week. There are currently 3 crews. What we have, we have. There is a shortage of human resources, Varnas said.

– There is a system that shows how many calls there are, how many trips. As a result, everything is really under control. To say that someone is not paying attention to something is completely false. Because since the beginning of the epidemic in the spring, the problem has been addressed. “

According to D. Varnas, it was then that the fourth crew appeared. And now, if resources permit, as the head of administration says, there will be both the fourth, the fourteenth and the seventeenth crew.

“But it requires human resources,” Varnas said, adding that there are currently mobile teams in the area. In addition, it is often necessary to drive and pick up a patient who has been transferred to another city for treatment after some time, because the person himself has no way of returning.

“The big problem is human resources. But that problem is being addressed. And today, the Ambulance Manager presented how many calls there are, how many kilometers are covered. I also spoke personally with other GMP personnel. Those things are not forgotten and are being addressed The saying that someone does not react to something is a true lie, “said D. Varnas.