As the number of COVID-19 patients increases, hospitals will have access to vital equipment

“We immediately got in touch with a large number of Lithuanian hospitals and in a couple of days we saw a real picture, we knew the situation and which hospitals most need at the moment to save lives. The demand for this equipment in the market is huge, it is monopolizing all over the world. As a result, the equipment needed to treat COVID-19 would have been delayed due to a lack of mandatory procurement procedures or funding for hospitals. Our team got in touch with dozens of suppliers whose main condition was how quickly we could get the equipment they had. Once we have found the right one, we deliver a large part of the devices that are vital to hospitals before Christmas, and the rest will arrive in the next few days, ”said SBA President Arūnas Martinkevičius.

According to him, the fact that the equipment was bought so quickly can be considered a little Christmas miracle. 15 artificial lung ventilators will be donated to hospitals to ensure respiratory function in both severe and moderate patients. Another 9 high-oxygen therapy systems will provide oxygen to patients and can help them avoid pulmonary intubation, 9 vital signs monitors will continuously monitor patients, 16 oxygen concentrators will supply oxygen in rooms where there are no centralized delivery systems , 15 resuscitation beds will allow for more patients, a portable radiograph will allow rapid diagnosis and monitoring of the lung condition of critically ill patients to make vital treatment decisions in a timely manner. The 75 poorly infused infusion pumps will automatically dispense and deliver medication to patients affected by the virus, and 5 disinfection mist systems will eradicate the infection on the hospital premises. The total value of all these teams is 479 thousand. euros.

According to A.Martinkevičius, the goal was to help not only large hospitals but also smaller ones, which also lack vital equipment in the fight against COVID-19. SBA support will reach Santara Clinics, Kaunas University of Health Sciences, Klaipėda University, Republican Šiauliai and Republican Panevėžys Hospitals. In addition, the Raseiniai, Šilutė, Ukmergė, Utena and Visaginas hospitals.

“Due to high morbidity, the sudden expansion of COVID-19 wards and the admission of more and more critically ill patients has vastly increased the need for vital equipment to treat them, which we simply cannot meet. Such timely and sincere help is the best gift for us and our patients in this most difficult time, because we will be able to help more people. All residents of the country can give another gift, if they just stay at home ”, says prof. Feliksas Jankevičius.

General Director of the Kaunas Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences prof. Albinas Naudžiūnas emphasized that this is an important support for the largest institution treating COVID-19 patients. “We have around a hundred and a half COVID-19 patients who need emergency care. Most are oxygen deficient, so this support is extremely valuable and will contribute significantly to the difficult fight against the pandemic,” said prof A. Naudžiūnas.

“With hospital congestion in critical care units for critically ill patients, more and more oxygen equipment and artificial lung ventilation systems are needed, which have become invaluable. They literally help sustain life. After receiving the necessary equipment for treatment, we moved away from the possible painful choice: which patient to rescue first, ”says Odeta Borkertienė, deputy director of medicine at Raseiniai Hospital.

The SBA also donated the missing equipment to hospitals during the spring quarantine. Then, ventilation devices and cleaning and disinfection machines were purchased and delivered to medical institutions in Lithuania. Other initiatives have been taken to help with the health crisis. Utenos Trikotažas employees volunteered on weekends and sewed and delivered more than 15,000 reusable masks to the country’s doctors, who were very deficient at the time. Just before Easter, volunteers from SBA companies with complete food packages visited more than 1,000 seniors in various cities in Lithuania. SBA companies have also supported musicians in the regions. Including state-of-the-art equipment, the total value of the support provided by the SBA and its people during a pandemic this year amounts to almost € 650,000.