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Bulgaria’s health system appears to be on the brink of collapse, so authorities in the neighboring country have sought the help of law enforcement. In Sofia, police cars will transport Covid patients, as ambulances can no longer cope with the large number of requests. Recently, a man died waiting to be rescued.
The Bulgarian government has decided to summon police forces to transfer COVID-19 patients to hospital, as ambulances are no longer enough to cope with the virulence of the second wave of the pandemic, reports AFP, cited by Agerpres. .
Ten police minibuses, six of which are equipped with paramedic equipment, will support the 25 public ambulances operating in Sofia, Health Minister Kostadin Anghelov said at a press conference on Monday.
A 33-year-old patient died waiting for an ambulance
The death on Saturday of a 33-year-old man, whose family members have been desperately waiting for hours for his ambulance to pick him up, caused a shock wave on social media, which abounds with testimonies about the denial of access to medical services. .
“Doctors are exhausted. We are at war: we must mobilize all resources against the pandemic”said Sofia’s ambulance spokeswoman Katia Sungarska.
Medical students were mobilized and the help of private hospitals was requested
Bulgarian hospitals, where much of the medical staff are infected, have already called for medical students to be mobilized.
Faced with criticism, the Health Ministry also called for the cooperation of private medical units, often reluctant to receive people infected with the new coronavirus.
“Private hospitals that do not apply the ministerial decree that requires them to dedicate 10% of their beds to patients with COVID-19 will no longer be financed from the health insurance budget,” warned the Minister of Health. On Monday he expressed his satisfaction with the appearance of 100 additional beds in the capital.
In addition, 17 new ambulances will be available by the end of the week, added the minister, who is also negotiating with a taxi company to transport the sick.
Bulgaria, which generally controlled the first wave of COVID-19 in the spring, is currently outpaced by the increase in the number of cases, by 80% in seven days, to a total of 54,000 cases, which is probably less than in reality, given that the country performs few tests.
Faced with a strong social challenge, the government refuses to impose a new unpopular “blockade.” About 1,300 deaths have been recorded in this state of 7 million people since the start of the pandemic.
Publisher: AA
