Norwegian doctors work in the worst affected area of ​​Italy – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

The Norwegian emergency team landed on Italian soil on Wednesday night and has since helped staff at Hospital Bolognini Di Deriate in eastern Bergamo.

Bergamo is located in the heavily affected Lombardy region of the country, the epicenter of the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

On Easter Eve, 619 Italians died, and the total death toll in the country is now close to 20,000 people. More than 150,000 people have tested positive for infection.

– Total state of emergency

– We got off to a good start. We were transported directly to the hospital from the airport and started working almost immediately, says team leader Johnny Aslaksen of the Norwegian Medical Emergency Team (NOR EMT).

He says that for those of the team members who have known Italy before, it has been a special experience to experience the country as it appears now.

– We have reached a state of total emergency in peacetime with restrictions that go far beyond what we have in Norway. The restrictions are almost absolute, with very few exceptions, such as going to the store and ventilating the dog, he says.

Norwegians stay in a hotel one mile from the hospital.

– What we see in Italy is the place where we work, the place where we live and the route between them.

A pure crown hospital

Norwegian staff are distributed to various departments of the hospital, which is now a purely coronary hospital.

Medical Director Guttorm Brattebø tells NRK that they are in good working condition and that the routines and equipment are quite similar to what they know of Norwegian conditions.

– When we talk to our colleagues about what it was like here when it was at its worst, it seems completely indescribable compared to now. Tears fall when they talk about the past period. It makes an impression, says Brattebø.

The hospital in which the Norwegians are working is the largest in the region and generally has less than 700 beds to serve a population of around 400,000 people.

– The hospital generally has nine intensive beds. When it was at its worst a couple of weeks ago, 29 people were using a breathing machine at the same time, says Brattebø.

He says hospital employees have converted operating rooms and other wards into intensive care units.

Varied background

The crisis team consists of 22 people. 19 of them are nurses and doctors from various backgrounds. In addition, three people from the Civil Defense are involved in logistics management.

– We contribute to both intensive care units and bed posts with professional medical and nursing support for our colleagues. But above all, we are here to provide labor that can alleviate them, says Brattebø.

The Norwegian crisis team is scheduled to work in the country for four weeks.