Professor Kalibat: Veryga’s decision is like an icing on the cake of controversial orders from the Ministry.

It seems that there has never been a doctor nominated for this award in the history of the world, but the majority of Lithuanian doctors apparently would like the international commission to positively evaluate the candidacy of our minister (currently in office). Of course, this Seimas had many, to put it mildly, strange politicians, but I think Mr. Veryga warned all the competitors.

The merits of the award are unquestionable. After all, it has been so blatantly lied to that we are better prepared (we have all the necessary arsenal of protective equipment and diagnostic tests) to fight the coronavirus. And it turned out that the doctors had to fight COVID-19 almost naked and barefoot.

It has been explained to people that the use of healthy masks does not require so many coronavirus tests that there is nothing that causes noise due to the lack of disinfectant when there is soap and the like. We probably also claim to be included in the Guinness Book of World Records, as only Mr. Veryga was able to buy the product 24 times more expensive than that offered in public procurement. The so-called “new drug policy” left an indelible mark on everyone, when the decision was made to treat their compatriots only with the cheapest drugs, definitively eliminating the usual and, as always, vital drugs from the list of reimbursable drugs. the patients. We have probably become the only country in the world where patients had to picket the door of the Government and the Ministry of Health to get the right medicine.

We are also probably the only country in the world where the health minister dared to poke fun at doctors, explaining that the qualifications of district doctors are so low that almost all patients die of heart attacks and strokes.

There is no doubt about the “merits” of our Minister in the controversial fight against the demons of alcoholism, when we enter the history of the world as a country where the advertising of alcoholic beverages was stolen or pasted from foreign magazines.

In my opinion, despite all the “merits”, Mr. Veryga should definitely receive the Schnobel Award. If, after the first wave of coronavirus, the rulers tried to write all the advantages for themselves and even put the crown of A. Veryga on the head of the nation’s rescuer, then the second wave of coronavirus again highlighted the same systemic errors .

Epidemiological predictions were not taken into account, so insufficient human and material resources were planned for the isolation of foci and the establishment of contacts, the quarantine was not introduced in time, which, of course, led to the uncontrolled spread of the infection.

It seems that not all homework is redone. Doctors are already sick, thousands, every day thousands of newly infected people in the country, and the forecasts are apparently no longer so optimistic. It is well known that molecular assays based on the polymerase chain reaction remain the gold standard for early diagnosis of COVID-19, recognizing that our laboratory capacity is already exhausted and we cannot perform as many tests as we should. Rescue is apparently less accurate for early coronavirus diagnosis, but rapid antigen tests are performed very frequently.

By the way, it should not be confused with rapid serological tests, which detect an already established immunity, and about the convenience of which a lot has already been written.

And when it comes to rapid antigen testing, we have to admit that, unfortunately, our ministry has once again demonstrated total immaturity, a lack of understanding of the current critical epidemiological situation. According to the instructions of the Ministry employees, it appears that laboratories must be certified to perform these tests.

Non-certified laboratories will even be penalized for arbitrary tests. How absurd, because this test can be carried out even by a slightly trained polyclinic health worker; after all, technically the whole procedure is a little different from the pregnancy test. Rather than maximizing research with rapid antigen testing, we found a host of bureaucratic reasons to avoid it.

And finally, I hope to be the last icing on the cake of the controversial orders of the Ministry of Health: the order that each municipality in Lithuania should form a mobile medical team (family doctor, nurse, nursing assistant) to provide personal medical care to people with COVID-19 at risk in the home or social care home. Consequently, all concern for the care of coronavirus patients and patients at risk is placed on the head of GPs.

At first glance, it will seem to many that the Minister really takes great care of all patients. I agree that it is psychologically important for any patient to communicate directly with a doctor, but does such a visit really make sense? What can the doctor advise other than consulting on the phone? After all, those with mild COVID-19 stay home, when special treatment is practically unnecessary.

Every patient knows that it is not necessary to lower a temperature to 38 degrees and what to drink if the cough is irritating. A mobile team is dispatched when another consulting physician assesses the patient’s health status and signs the referral for the examination. But what the GP can also do is measure the oxygen saturation of the arterial blood with a pulse oximeter. And is it impossible to determine over the phone that the patient is suffocating and therefore needs hospital treatment? If I know my patient well, I will definitely hear over the phone that he is short of breath.

The fact that more and more doctors are becoming infected with coronavirus suggests that infection is possible even with maximum protection. Therefore, any additional contact with COVID-19 is a potential infection risk for physicians. Another important factor is that mobile teams can be formed from different treatment facilities.

It is well known that any contact with new people also increases the risk of infection. Of course, it is the doctor’s duty to treat all, of course, those with coronavirus infection. And they do it, constantly risking their health and life. But the question arises whether visiting the home of patients with mild problems will actually yield the benefits that would redeem the potential risk of drug infection.

Let’s talk openly. If several thousand additional doctors are infected, healthcare systems will face a total collapse. Perhaps we will try to protect our doctors, because the health of the Lithuanian people will also depend on it.